A Kind of Magic
by angel-death-dealer
Summary: 16 years old, things can be just as hard in high school are they are on an island. Multiple pairings. Jack/Kate Charlie/Claire Sayid/Shannon Sawyer/AnaLucia
1. The Only One

Nothing can prepare you for it. Even in a million years, you'd never know how to react to that terrible moment when you know that it's happened. You can't think, you can't speak, all you can do is remind yourself to breath as you take in that news. Every other possibility runs through your mind, trying to find a loophole, anything to change what you're being told, but nothing fits, and suddenly none of the pieces made sense anymore, let alone fit together.

So maybe that's why Kate Austen suddenly felt like her world was falling apart.

She sat on her bed, tears streaming down her face silently whilst she tried to forget everything that had just happened. Even though she had time to prepare for this moment, nothing could have prepared her for this. Nothing in the world could have helped her deal with this aching pain she felt in her heart right then.

The battle with cancer had been a long and hard fight for her mother, but it had simply gotten too hard for her to carry on fighting once it had spread. After a four year battle, filled with sickness and weakness in which Kate had watched her mother shrivel to a shadow of her former self, her heart had simply given up in the night. She had been very sick for a while, eventually unable to leave the hospital. In those four years, Kate had grown up a lot. She was no longer the twelve-year-old weakling that had broken down completely when she knew that her mother was ill, but instead a sixteen-year-old concrete wall of strength.

But no strength of her own could help her now. There was only one person who could help her now, and although all it would take was for her to pick up the phone, she couldn't bring herself to do it. She didn't want him to see her like this.

He had been her best friend for the better part of ten years. Meeting at primary school when she had moved to the small town, she had quickly become friends with a whole group of students who accepted her as if she had been there all along, but he was always the best. He was always there for her, in the way that a big brother would be, but more than that. It was an unspoken rule that they were best friends, and no one ever came in the way of that. Kate's boyfriend had to go through a whole checklist of vetting from him when she told him that she had found a boyfriend.

But as she reached for the phone, at her wits end and unable to cope, she didn't dial her boyfriends number. Instead, she called the number she had dialled a thousand times. The phone rang for a few minutes, before a male voice answered. Just hearing that voice cause the sobs to escape, and she choked out the name of the one person in the world who could help her.

"Jack."


	2. People Still Love You

Burying her mother three days later was the hardest thing she ever had to do, but she did it with Jack Shepherd at her side. He held her hand whilst she said her final goodbye to Diane, and he held her in his arms as she screamed and cried uncontrollably as they lowered her casket into the ground. Out of all the family that were there, none of them even stepped up to help console Kate, other than her step-father, and so she clung to Jack, helpless and lost as she finally came to accept what had happened.

She hadn't gone to the wake, unable to sit there and face the people that would come up to her and tell her that they were sorry for her loss, and that if she needed them, they were there for her. Instead, Jack took her home to her house, where it would be empty, seeing as her father was out of the house and from the look of things, probably would be for days on an endless bar crawl.

In the quiet of the living room, Jack entered with a mug of hot chocolate for Kate. He had a specialty with hot chocolate, and coincidently, it happened to be Kate's favourite drink. She never drank tea with Charlie and Claire, always hot chocolate with Jack, and by Jack. He sat down beside her, handing her the drink that she took from him.

"Thanks." She said in a whisper.

"No problem." He replied gently, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. She leaned against him, and they collapsed against the back of the chair. "When will your Dad be back?" He asked her, not wanting to leave her on her own.

She shook her head. "He won't come home tonight." She said. "That's good though. I don't want to be here with him."

"You shouldn't be on your own, Katie." Jack told her, watching as her head lolled against his shoulder tiredly.

"I'll be okay." She nodded, but they both knew that she wouldn't be.

"Kate…" He reasoned, and she looked up at him with pleading eyes, almost begging him to believe her words. "You're not going to be on your own." He told her stubbornly. "I'll stay here with you."

"Jack, you can't." She shook her head. "If Dad comes home, you know what will happen." The last time that he had come home and found that Jack and the others had stayed the night when he was out last year, he had yelled so much that he had practically chased the others out of the house, and when they were gone, he had hit Kate, although she never told them that part, not even Jack.

"Then you're coming to stay at my house." He said simply. "Either way I'll be with you tonight."

"I don't want to be in the way." She said, going off in a trance.

He saw the far off look in her eye, and raised her chin to look at him. "Kate, you're my best friend and I love you, nothing gets in the way of that. Nothing." He stood up. "Now come on, let's get you sorted."

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"You don't want to be putting that on in the morning." He pointed out to her, noticing the skirt and shirt she was wearing.

"I guess you're right." She said, and followed him up the stairs into her bedroom, where she packed herself an overnight bag.

Jack went into the bathroom to get her toothbrush for her, and saw the razor lying in the sink, with the remains of blood trickling from it.

"Oh god no." He whispered, looking in the direction of Kate's room. He picked up the toothbrush from the cup that he knew was hers, blue and white, and went back into her bedroom, where she was putting a t-shirt into her backpack.

"Thanks." She whispered, and put it into a side pocket on her back. She saw the look he was giving her, and frowned. "What's wrong?" She asked.

Jack moved closer to her, and took hold of her hand. "Is there anything you want to tell me, Kate?" He asked, stroking the inside of her palm with his thumb. "Anything at all?"

"No." She said, shaking her head. "There's nothing."

Keeping hold of her hand, he quickly rolled up the sleeve of her shirt, showing off the two cuts were on the side of her wrist. She looked away in shame, tears filling her eyes. She hadn't wanted him to know.

"Doesn't look like nothing to me." Jack said.

Her face crumbled, and she collapsed into tears. "I just…couldn't cope." She told him. "It's too hard, I wanted everything to stop!"

He pulled her into his arms, holding her tightly. "It's alright," He told her softly, as he rubbed her back as her forehead pressed tightly against his shoulder. He always had been that one head taller than her once they'd hit their teens.

"I'm sorry, Jack." She cried. "I just wanted to end it all. I can't deal with it anymore, I want it to stop!"

He tightened his hold on her. "Kate, please don't ever think of that again." He asked of her, hating the idea of his best friend wanting to kill herself. "If things get bad, just call me. I don't care if its in the middle of the night and you turn up on my doorstep. Just please don't do this to yourself when there are people here who still care about you. People still love you, Katie."


	3. He Loves You, Katie

Kate awoke with her body curled into a ball beneath a thick warm blanket. Everything around her was comfortable, and she had no idea where she was. Then the memories of the night before started to trickle back into her mind. Jack finding the wounds on her arm that she had made herself, and then him taking her back to his house, where he explained to his parents that he didn't want her to be alone because her father was out. They had understood, she had always gotten on well with his parents. Margo wanted nothing more than to take her in when she learned that her mother had passed, because it was perfectly clear what she was going through with her father, but she knew that couldn't happen.

She opened her eyes, and realised that she was in Jack's bed. Jack's father was a Chief of Surgery at the hospital, so he could afford a lot, and that was why Jack had a double bed in his room, and it wasn't the first night that she had shared it with him. It was never in an intimate way, just the nights when she had stayed over after parties, and had laid claim on one half of the bed. It was like there was an invisible line running down the middle of the bed that was never crossed.

She turned on her side, realising that Jack wasn't in the bed, and saw a piece of paper on the bedside table beside his alarm clock. It was 9.30.

_Hi Kate. _

_Sorry I didn't wake you up this morning, but I thought you could do with the sleep. Dad's at work, and Mom's out with a friend until dinner, so it's just us until she gets back. The others are coming over for lunch, hope you don't mind, but Claire called and insisted that we all meet up because of the End of Summer Rule. Hopefully we can put a smile back on your face. _

_Jack._

_XX._

How could she forget the End of Summer Rule? On the last day of the summer break, they all met up and spent the day together before they had to go back to school. It would be the last time they did it, as this was their last school year together. After this, they all went off to college and other places.

Kate got up, and got dressed into the clothes she had packed in her bag. The jeans and t-shirt felt a lot more comfortable than the skirt she had been wearing yesterday, but it was the only appropriate thing she had to wear. Pulling her hair into a ponytail, she went downstairs, and as soon as her foot touched the bottom step, she was met with the smell of bacon. She breathed in the smell, letting out a sigh afterwards.

"Oh, there you are." Jack said, his head popping out from the kitchen and then going back into it. "Feeling any better?" He asked her.

"Yeah, I'm good." She said, coming into the kitchen. "Jack, are you cooking?" She asked.

"Umm…I guess you could call it that." He realised, but although he thought he couldn't cook, he could - very well. "We were out of cereal, and I figured that with you not being able to cook and all-"

"It's not that I can't cook. I just choose not to." Kate corrected him.

Jack gave her _that _look. "Kate, you're not kidding anyone, I've tasted your waffles remember?"

"My waffles rock." She said half-heatedly, even though she knew that they didn't.

"Whatever you say." He said with a laugh, setting a plate of bacon and eggs on the table for her. She sat down and stared to eat.

"So…the others are coming today?" She asked.

"Yeah. Claire called and wouldn't take no for an answer." He told her, starting on his own breakfast. "I wish I could have seen her face when I told her you were here already."

"Imagine her face when she knew that I was upstairs asleep in your bed." Kate told him.

"Don't have to." Jack shook his head. "She dropped the phone and started squealing to Shannon."

Kate rolled her eyes. "When are they going to get off out backs?" She asked.

"I asked her that. She said when we get married and have seventeen kids." He laughed.

Kate shook her head. "As easy as that would be on your part, I am definitely not giving birth seventeen times. I don't even think I'd do it seven times." She told him.

"How many times would you?" He asked. "Five?"

"Nope."

"Four?"

"Jack, I know that someone obviously told you where babies come from by now, but did anyone ever tell you where they come _out_?"

"Yes."

"Well, there's only a certain amount of times that a girl could fit something roughly the size of a watermelon through _that_." She told him. "I think my limit would be three." She mused. "Yeah, three-"

"Two girls and a boy." He predicted. She gave him a look. "What? I know you too well." He reminded her.

"I know you just as well." She pointed out.

"Go on then. Amaze me."

"You can't wait to be a dad. You want as many kids as possibly, with lots of girls, but at least one boy to keep your sanity. You want to be a doctor, a surgeon, and you want the nice dreamy house in the suburbs with a white picket fence and a mini-van, which you're going to need for all those kids." She said, as if she was reciting from a book.

"That's just bad." Jack said.

"Why? Because I know you better than you know yourself?" She teased.

"That works either way." He said.

"So, how much of our life has Claire planned now?" She asked.

"Wedding, honeymoon, children names, and we have a dog as well now."

"Don't forget the three cats. She's done so much that I've almost forgotten half of it." Kate added.

"I haven't." Jack said, but then quickly covered up with, "She reminds me of it everyday. Wedding in Hawaii, on the beach, honeymoon in Paris, two weeks, our kids are going to be called Allie, Leah, Becky and Jordan, and the dogs name is Bob."

"Bob?" She asked strangely. "Bob isn't a dog's name."

"Claire says that the kids chose it." Jack shrugged.

"She does know that these kids don't exist, doesn't she?" Kate checked.

"I don't think so. After what we just spoke about on the phone, she probably thinks that one of them is going to exist soon."

"Great thinking, Jack, spur her on."

"It's almost like she's forgotten that you have a boyfriend." Jack said.

Kate went silent for a minute. Over the past few days, even she seemed to have forgotten that fact, and she had been with Tom for just over a year. At the moment he was on holiday in Nigeria with his parents, but he would be back at school tomorrow with them.

"Kate?" Jack asked, noticing her silent mood shift. "Everything okay?" She didn't answer. "Kate, did you ring Tom?" He asked her. She shook her head. "You mean, you called me before him?"

"It wouldn't have done a lot of good." She pointed out. "He can't do anything where he is."

"Katie, he loves you, he would want to know."

"I know he does." Kate said, "but I-"

She stopped herself before she said too much. Even she hadn't known she was going to say that.

"But?" Jack asked. "But what?"

"But nothing." She shrugged, "I'll talk to him tomorrow."

"Kate, talk to me." Jack said. "But what?"

"I don't."

"What?"

"I said, I don't."

"Don't what?"

"Love him."


	4. Truth or Dare

Jack stared back at her for a moment. Her and Tom had been together for, like, _ever_...well, three years, but at their age, that was a long time. She was so happy with him, and now she was telling him that she didn't love him anymore? It just didn't make sense, not to him anyway. Although, he had to admit that he was secretly glad. He had known Kate for pretty much most of their lives, and he was always the person that judged who got to date her because of that, like a big brother - only he had feelings for her that a brother shouldn't have.

"Kate-"

He stopped mid-sentence when the doorbell rang. Kate still wasn't looking at him, and he raised his head to see the silhouette of the others through the door's frosted glass.

"I'll get it." He said quietly, leaving Kate sitting at the table in her own thoughts.

Kate mentally slapped herself. What on earth had she told him that for? Sure, it was one thing telling Shannon and Claire, but Jack? Jack would probably go and talk to Tom there and then if he was in the country yet. He was protective like that - more protective of her than Tom was, she had to admit. She did get a small kick out of Jack protecting her though, because it reminded her that what he said last night was true, that people still cared about her.

Suddenly, two pairs of arms embraced her from behind, and Kate smiled, knowing that they were Claire's and Shannon's.

"Hey guys." She said meekly.

"Dude, that sounded cheerful." Hurley said as he sat down opposite her at the table.

Claire straightened up again, and clapped her hands together. "Right, everyone, Operation Cheer Kate Up has began."

"What?" Kate asked, looking up at her.

Charlie nodded. "We know that you're going through a bad time, and we're all here for you, so we're having this day to cheer you up and help you get back on track."

"But-but-" Kate protested. "But it's the end of summer! You can't dedicate the whole date to me, what about the rule? Today is everyone's day."

"And everyone cares about you." Jack said, "So today is our day to get you happier."

Kate looked down, and then returned her gaze to theirs with a soft smile. "You didn't have to do this." She said quietly.

"Kate, quit complaining, we wanted to." Shannon said.

"But-"

"Seriously, one more protest and I'm giving you a make-over." Shannon said, pointing a finger at Kate.

Kate visibly winced at this idea and Charlie and Hurley looked at each other with horrified faces. "The touch of death itself." Charlie whispered in the most evil voice he could manage. Shannon shot them a glare and he shut up, sitting innocently and trying to pretend that it wasn't him.

"Alright," Kate said, "I give in."

They all sat croweded into Jack's living room whilst they watched a movie. Shannon and Sayid took up one end of the couch, sitting together. Charlie and Claire sat on the floor with one bowl of popcorn between them. Sawyer occupied his own armchair, Hurley sat in another armchair, and Jack and Kate sat beside each other on the other end of the couch. Jack had his arm around Kate, who was still feeling down, and the others kept glancing at each other and smiling at this.

No movement was made until halfway through the movie when Kate stood up.

"Woah, woah, woah." Jack said. "Where are you going?"

She gave him a look, gesturing to the empty bowl of popcorn in her hands. "We're out of popcorn." She said obviously.

"And?" He asked.

"And I'm going to get some more." She said with a soft laugh.

He sighed, and have her _that _look. "Does the phrase 'Kate's Day' mean nothing to you?" He asked, but didn't give her a chance to answer because he put his hands on her hips and pulled her back down to the couch. "Sit down, I'll get it."

"Dude, while you're out there get me some as well." Hurley asked them without removing his gaze from the television.

"Forget it, I'll go." Charlie said, getting to his feet. "We're out as well."

Charlie took all three bowls and went into the kitchen to make more. Kate got comfortable against Jack again, his arm going back around her shoulders whilst her head rested on his shoulder.

Shannon frowned at the screen. "Why are we watching this again?" She asked, not impressed with the choice of film at all.

"Because it's my favourite." Kate said.

"Haven't you seen it about a thousand times over?" She laughed.

Kate thought for a moment and then shrugged. "Probably." She mused.

Shannon shook her head, and Sawyer smirked. "Remember, Shan, this was the first movie that she went to see with Jack." He said, and she nodded.

"Sawyer!" Kate said unfairly.

"What? It's true." Sawyer said, getting back up nods from the rest of the group. "Jack took you to see this for your birthday three years ago, and it just happens to be your favourite." Sawyer reminded her.

"Coincidence." Kate said.

"Whatever." Sawyer said.

"Shut up, Sawyer, we're missing the best part." Jack intervened.

"The best part?" Sawyer asked, looking at the screen like he was disgusted. "There's no sex in this film, there's no best part to it."

"Yes, there is a best part." Kate said. "And this is it. She's just about to tell him that she loves him." She explained, pointing at the screen.

Sawyer shook his head, muttering under his breath. "Yeah, that would be your favourite part, wouldn't it?" He said.

"What was that?" Jack asked.

"Nothing." He covered up.

Charlie came back into the room, somehow balancing the three bowls. "I come bearing popcorn." He announced.

Kate took a bowl from him before he dropped it on Claire's head.

After the film, Shannon was thankful that it was over. Even if it was a romance film, there was too many explosions in it for her liking. "Come on," She said. "There's at least one tradition we're sticking to today. Truth or dare."

"Oh God." Hurley muttered.

"Come on, Hurley it's fun!" Claire said.

"It's not fun." He complained.

"Would you prefer spin the bottle?" Shannon asked sweetly.

Hurley visibly shuddered. "No way. That kiss was horrible."

"I agree." Sawyer said with his own shudder.

Kate grinned, the first real smile in days. "Yeah...that was great." She said to herself.

"Right, Claire - truth or dare?" Shannon asked.

"Truth."

"Spoilsport." Shannon groaned. "Right, um...if you had to choose between Hurley and Sawyer, who would you pick?"

"Hurley." She said almost immediately.

Sawyer glared at her incredulously. "Seriously, answer faster!" He said sarcastically.

"Sorry, Sawyer," Claire laughed, "But Hurley's a lot...well..."

"A lot what?" Sawyer asked. "Bigger?"

"...Nicer than you are." Claire finished. Hurley sat with a smug grin on his face.

"I can be nice." Sawyer muttered.

"I'd pay money to see that." Jack said.

"Sawyer, truth or dare?" Claire asked, hoping he'd fall into the trap.

"Dare."

She grinned. "I dare you to be nice for an entire week - To everyone."

Sawyer rolled his eyes.

"Ten bucks says he doesnt make it past tomorrow." Charlie said.

"You're on, man." Hurley said, shaking his hand.

"You've got yourself a deal." Sawyer said. "Right...uh...Freckles, truth or dare?"

"Truth." Kate answered.

The others all stared at her with a mixture of horror and curiosity - Kate always picked dare. "You what?" Claire aked.

"Aw, Kate, stop being boring." Sawyer said. "I was going to break out the big ones today as well."

"I'm not stupid, Sawyer." Kate said. "The last time you did that I ended up retrieving my underwear from a tree."

Sawyer sat back with a grin on his face. "Yeah...that was a good night."

"Are you going to truth me or should we give you a few moments alone?" Kate asked in a bored tone.

Sawyer glared at her, and then smiled devilishly. "Do you love Jack?" He asked.

Kate raised an eyebrow at him. "Of course I do." She answered. "He's my best friend."

Sawyer shook his head. "No, not in that way, in the other way."

She gave him a withering look. "Sawyer, I have a boyfriend." She reminded him, as if somehow that was an answer enough. The rest of them, mainly Jack, noticed that she didn't say 'no' to him.

"C'mon, we all know you're going to marry him one day." Sawyer pointed out.

Kate rolled her head back in frustration, as it landed almost perfectly against Jack's shoulder.

"Do we have to spend another day going through this?" Jack asked.

"But it's so fun!" Claire jumped in.

"We're not with each other." Jack pointed out. "You guys are all in relationships, plan each other's weddings."

"But, Jack, they're not going to be nearly as perfect as yours." Shannon complained.

Sayid gave her an offended look. "We're still here you know." He said, and Shannon patted him on the head sympathetically.

"Oh come on." Kate laughed.

"Seriously, if you guys got married, everything in the world would be right." Shannon said.

"Champagne would fall from the heavens." Charlie said, extending his hands, and Jack looked at him with surprise.

"Charlie? Our side? Please?"

"Sorry."

"Just admit that you like each other." Sawyer reasoned.

Kate rolled her eyes at him. "Sawyer, liking each other is generally a good things if you've been best friends for ten years."

"Besides, I'm not ever getting married." Jack said.

"Of course you are." Claire smiled at him.

"No way." Jack laughed. "I couldn't do it."

"Why not?" Shannon asked.

"Because he thinks that he'd forget the vows." Kate revealed, and they all looked at her strangely, including Jack. "What?" She asked, looking at him. "You told me ages ago."

"You don't have to write your own." Claire said, "You can always go traditional."

Jack smiled awkwardly. "Writing your own is so much more personal though." He said.

Sawyer stepped in, waving his arms to get their attention. "Guys, please, does Operation Cheer Kate Up have to include talking about weddings?" He asked.

"For once, I'm going to agree with Sawyer, and if I'm right, it's my turn...Jack, truth or dare?"

"Truth." He said.

Kate smiled at him, fluttering her eyelashes. That didn't work, so she gave him the guilt look.

"Okay, dare." He gave in. "Just stop with the puppy dog eyes."

"I dare you tooooo..." She whispered the rest of the dare into his ear, and his face came over with a horrified expression.

"NO!" He said firmly.

"You have to." Kate announced airly.

"I pick truth."

"Jack..."

"No, no, no, no, no, no puppy dog eyes, not this time, no way, not working." He said, closing his eyes so that he couldn't see them.

"It will cheer me up." Kate said, thinking on her feet.

He opened one eye. "Seriously?"

"Jack, I couldn't see this without a smile." Kate said, laughing to herself just at the thought.

"What is it?" Claire asked.

"You'll see." Kate said, getting to her feet. "Now, come on, Jack, come quietly." She said, but he didn't move from the couch. She pouted at him. "I'll cry."

"I'll come quietly." He surrendered.

"Good boy, Jack." She said, leading him out of the room.


	5. Bring You The Sun

A/N: For this chapter, I have to say the BIGGEST EVER THANK YOU to EternalConfusion for letting me use the line she came up with about bringing the sun to make you smile. It was all her idea, and I just craftily stole it from her. She's amazing, and I love her for that.

------------

Kate came down the stairs about ten minutes later. The others had all sat and wondered what the hell was going on upstairs, especially when they had heard Kate's uncontrollable outburst of laughter. When she got to the bottom of the stairs, and composed herself before going into the room where the others where.

"Well?" Shannon asked, "What did you do?"

Kate laughed again, and then stood up straight. "Ladies and Gentlement...and Sawyer..." She began prefessionally.

"Hey!" Sawyer protested.

"...May, I present to you, the amazing, Jack Shephard." She gestured towards the door where Jack was supposed to appear. "Jack?" She asked, when he didn't come through. Again, not a peep. "Jack!" She called.

"I won't do it!" He called back defensively, and Kate knew that he was still standing just around the corner.

"You picked dare, you have to." She reminded him.

"Correction - you made me pick dare." He said. "I would have been fine with a truth."

"Jack, quit being a chicken." She teased him. One way or another, she was going to get him through that door if she had to drag him around.

"I'm not being a chicken!" He said, getting defensive again. That was the one thing about Jack, he definately had that male pride idea going on in his head, and being best friends with Kate, this idea was challenged all the time.

"Then come out!"

"Give me one reason why I should!"

The others were all watching this exchange like they were watching a tennis match; their heads looking between the empty doorway and Kate standing with her hands on her hips.

"Because I want you to." Kate said sweetly.

"Normally, that would work, but not this time." Kate bit her lip, she had hoped that would work. It was no secret that she had him wrapped around her little finger.

"I'll make it worth your while." She promised.

"Oh yeah?" He challenged. "How?"

"I'm not sure I want to hear this." Sawyer said, placing two pillows either side of his head and holding them tightly against his ears. Kate either pretended not to hear him, or genuinely didn't, because she continued talking to Jack.

"I'll make you breakfast tomorrow." She offered.

"No chance." Jack laughed. "I like my life."

"Oh, thanks!" Kate said, feigning hurt. She didn't think that her cooking was that bad, regardless of what any person or household appliance said otherwise.

"I've got a deal for you." Jack suggested. "I come out, and you can ring Tom." He said.

Kate frowned in his direction, and the others saw this straight away. They hadn't heard what Kate had said earlier and assumed that things were fine between the two, but Kate's eyes said otherwise. "Jack-"

"Tonight." He added, cutting her off.

She sighed. "All right." She muttered.

"What was that?" Jack asked, wanting to hear her clearly so that she couldn't go back on it.

"All right! I'll call him!" She surrendered.

Keeping his word, Jack emerged from around the corner of the doorway, standing with a bright red face. The others all stared at him, and then everything happened at once as Sawyer fell off the armchair laughing manically.

"Dude..." Hurley muttered with a laugh, but Charlie shook his head.

"I'm not so sure that's a dude, Hurley."

"Jack, you look gorgeous." Shannon smiled, although she was clearly trying not to laugh.

Sawyer picked himself off the floor. "Has anyone got a camera?" He asked through his fit of laughter, just about able to choke the words out.

"Don't even think about it!" Jack warned, but no one could take him seriously at that moment.

"Aw, come on!" Sawyer laughed. "Think how much fun it will be!"

"Yeah, for you!" Jack pointed out.

"Remember, Sawyer," Claire intervened. "Whatever happens at the End of Summer stays in the Summer." She recited.

"Goddamn rules." He muttered bitterly.

"We should write them all down one day." Shannon suggested. "Just so that we remember them. You know, something special to look back on when we're older."

"That might take a while." Hurley reminded her.

"It'll be worth it though." Claire said determinedly.

Seeing that everyone was clearly occupied with other thoughts, Jack spoke up, unwillingly drawign attention to himself. "Can I go take this off now?" He asked.

"What, you're not going to do a dance for us?" Sawyer asked, managing to keep a straight face. Jack glared at him, and he held his hands up in surrender. "I'm kidding. No amount of money in the world would convince me to do that."

"Yes, Jack, you can take it off now?" Kate laughed, and nodded towards the door.

"Im glad that you're happy over this." He said bitterly, but she could see underneath that to the small bit of pride inside that came from making her laugh.

"Oh, I am." She giggled. "Most definately."

Jack disappeared upstairs, and the others all collapsed into immediate laugher having seen the straight-laced Jack Shepard in woman's clothing.

Just as they had managed to contain themselves long enough to congratulate Kate on a great dare, they head Jack's voice echo down the stairs.

"Uh...Kate?" He called. "The zip's stuck!"

Kate giggled. "What?"

"The zip on the back...I can't reach it!" He called back.

"Hold on, I'm coming." She said, getting off the couch and going back upstairs to help him out of the dress she had just helped him into. She closed the bedroom door behind her, knowing that otherwise Sawyer would come upstairs to check that they weren't doing anything without him being able to spread it around school.

Jack turned around when she came in, allowing her access to the zip. In all truth, it was a bit stiff, so she tugged at it for a few seconds.

"You know what?" Jack said, simply to break the silence. "I'm appauled, Kate." He said, trying to sound serious.

"Why?" She asked.

"Well, considering how easy it was to get into your dress..." He stared, and heard her laugh once she knew that he wasn't being serious. She got the zip undone, and the dress fell down to his waist, catching on his hips.

She couldn't help but stare at his back. It was muscular - very much so. She knew that he was strong from the amount of times that summer he had lifted her up and thrown her into the ocean, but she hadn't really been in a room - alone - and this close to him to see it.

As he crossed over to the bed, she watched him picking up a t-shirt, and pulling it over his head, turning as he did so. "Thanks." He said, pulling it fully over him.

"No problem." Kate whispered, trying to pry her eyes away from the chest that was right in front of her. It was definately more muscly this year than last year, but this time it was starting to sprout hair which made it more manly than ever.

"You okay?" He asked, noticing her distant look suddenly.

She shook herself. "Huh?" What was she doing? Jack was he best friend - she shouldn't be looking at his chest, and she definately should be staring at it like that! "Yeah...everythings great." She covered up with a quick smile. Yes, everything was great, especially the chest. She shook herself again - she had a boyfriend, granted she didn't love him, but he had a girlfriend!

Jack frowned. "Kate, I didn't mean what I said." He told her, and for a moment, she had to remember what he was talking about, and found that she simply couldn't. "You don't have to call Tom," He said when she didn't reply. "Not if it's going to upset you."

"Jack-" She started in that protesting voice, but he stopped her.

"You'll see him tomorrow anyway I guess."

"Jack-" She tried again, but again, he wasn't listening.

"I just don't want to see you crying again." He admitted. "It hurts me when you cry."

She was about to protest again, but what he had said shocked her a little bit. "It does?" She asked, slightly confused.

"Of course it does, you're my best mate, Kate." He told her, as if it were the answer to everything with them, and most of it, it was. "I'd rather walk on broken glass then see you cry."

She gave him a smile. He was probably the best friend she could ever ask for. Whenever she was upset, he knew without her even having to say anything to him, and sometime she swore that he could read her mind.

"Jack, I appreciate your concern, but I hardly think that a phonecall will be that bad." She said with a comforting smile, which he returned.

"Well, if it is, just let me know." He said.

"Not that you won't be able to tell anyway." She laughed.

"Yeah, well, if he upsets you, I want to be the one to make it better." He told her, and - was that a blush on his cheeks?

"What if I upset myself?" She challenged.

"Then I'd bring you the sun if it would make you smile again." He told her sweetly, and she grinned back for a moment.

Just before the moment became awkward, she changed the conversation. "I can think of something right now you can do." She told him.

"Oh yeah?" Jack asked.

_Well, you could-_ her mind began, but as soon as the image that crossed her mind appeared she blocked it straight away. Jack was just her friend. "Yeah, you can put your clothes back on and come and set the karaoke machine up." She said, swiftly recovering her mind from the gutter. What on earth was happening with her?

"Karaoke?" Jack asked with a laugh.

She nodded. "If there's one thing I'll remember my Mom teaching me it's that singing cures any pain. Whenever you're upset, you just need to sing, and there's nothing that can bring you down." She said, getting a slightly sad look in her eye at the mention of her mother, but Jack could see that it was a happy memory in her mind.

"Then sing your heart out." Jack told her.

"What?" Kate said, returning to the here and now. "Oh no, I'm going to laugh at everyone else singing." Kate said with a giggle.

"Trust me, you're going to sing." Jack said, tugging his jeans on underneath the dress and then stepping out of it, saving Kate the awkwardness of seeing him in his underwear.

"Oh, am I?" She challenged.

"Yeah, cause you're gonna sing with me." He told her.

"No way." She laughed.

"Yeah, we'll do our songs." He told her, and pulled her by the hand out of the bedroom. "And you're not getting out of it at all."


	6. Happy Together

At first, neither Jack nor Kate took either of the microphones for the karaoke machine. Both of them had a habit for getting excited when it was put on, and then not doing anything until it got right into the swing of things and everyone was doing it.

First of all, Shannon stole a microphone, and went through singing most of the songs that she could do. She did the Spice Girls's "2 Become 1" to Sayid, who watched her with the love-struck face he nearly always had. After that, she went through most of the Britney Spears songs with Claire, much to the others annoyance. Whilst they could sing rather well, no one besides those two liked Britney songs. Well, Sawyer liked Britney, but not for the reasons that Claire and Shannon did.

Eventually, when the sound of girl bands was too much to bear, Sawyer stole the microphones from them, giving the other to Charlie and Hurley and the three of them sang "I'm too sexy". That was hilarious for the others to watch, who were collapsed against each other on the sofa in laughter, particularly at Sawyer's dancing he was doing. It was something in the league of a dying cow and stripper wearing thirty layers of clothing.

But then, the harrassment started.

"Come on guys, your turn."

"We've all sang apart from you."

"We know that you can both sing, so just go for it."

"Or else."

Kate was tempted to ask, "or else what?" but she knew better than that with these guys. That usually led to strange evenings like the one where she had to retrieve her underwear from a tree in the garden.

"What shall we sing?" Jack asked her, also not bothering to argue with her. He was looking down on her, mainly because she was sitting beside his legs on the floor whilst he sat on the couch, her head resting just beside his knees.

"Hmm...Simple Plan?" She suggested, her head rolling back to look up at him.

It was their usual song that they did together, and had been for the past three years since they brought the disc it was on. They took a microphone each, and Jack leaned forward on his knees so that he was partly level with her.

"Go on, Charlie, put the song on." Kate said, and he pressed a few buttons on the remote, changing the song as it started.

Jack started off with the first verse, as he always did. As he sang, he thought about the lyrics. For the first time out of the millions they had sang it together on karaoke nights, he thought about what the words were saying so simply.

_"Imagine me and you, I do,  
I think about you day and night, it's only right,  
To think about the girl you love, and hold her tight,  
So happy together."_

Kate took the next verse with a grin on her face, yet she was also thinking the same thing as Jack. She caught the look of raised eyebrows from the others, and saw that they were looking at one another with nods and smiles. And for the first time, she realised why.

_"If I should call you up, invest a dime  
And you say you belong to me and ease my mind  
Imagine how the world would be, so very fine  
So happy together."_

_"I can see me loving nobody but you  
For all my life  
When you're with me, baby the skies'll be blue,  
For all my life."_

_"Me and you, and you and me  
No matter how they toss the dice, it has to be  
The only one for me is you, and you for me  
So happy together"_

_"If I should call you up, invest a dime,  
And you say you belong to me and ease my mind  
Imagine how the world could be so very fine  
So happy together"_

_"I can see me loving nobody but you,  
For all my life  
When you're with me baby the skies'll be blue,  
For all my life  
I can see me loving nobody but you,  
For all my life  
When you're with me baby the skies'll be blue,  
For all my life"

* * *

_

The others all went home about an hour later, when their parents started calling them to be home for dinner, and eventually, only Jack and Kate were left. Neither of them were done with the karaoke machine yet, however, and were doing their usual of going through all of the songs that they rarely knew for a laugh. This was always good, and had been the first time that Jack had tried (and failed, mind you) to do a Michael Jackson impression, which Kate never let him live down. He could never pull of this tease with Kate, because whatever song she sang, she somehow always seemed to do it well.

After a strange half an hour filled with lots of laughter due to impressions of Celine Dion, Blink 182 and Guns n Roses, they were about to call it a day with the singing when Jack stopped on a certain song.

"What one's this?" Kate asked as it started playing

"A Savage Garden song."

"Never took you for a fan." Kate said with a raised eyebrow.

"I'm not, but Mom listens to it all the time and I've gotta do it." He said giving her a smile, and took her microphone off of her. "And you're not gonna do it. This is my five minutes of fame." He said and she laughed, not even attempting to take the microphone back. Instead she just sat and watched him, whilst he sang, but kept his eyes trained on the screen.

_"When you feel all alone  
And the world has turned its back on you  
Give me a moment please  
To tame your wild wild heart  
I know you feel like the walls are closing in on you  
It's hard to find relief, and people can be so cold.  
When darkness is upon your door and you feel like you can't take anymore_

_Let me be the one you call,  
If you jump, I'll break your fall,  
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night.  
If you need to fall apart,  
I can mend a broken heart.  
If you need to crash then crash and burn  
You're not alone._

_When you feel all alone  
And a loyal friend is hard to find  
You're caught in a one way street  
With the monsters in your head.  
When hopes and dreams are far away and  
You feel like you can't face the day_

_Let me be the one you call,  
If you jump, I'll break your fall,  
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night.  
If you need to fall apart,  
I can mend a broken heart.  
If you need to crash then crash and burn  
You're not alone._

_'Cause there has always been heartache and pain  
And when it's over you'll breathe again  
You'll breath again_

_When you feel all alone  
And the world has turned its back on you  
Give me a moment please  
To tame your wild wild heart _

Let me be the one you call,  
If you jump, I'll break your fall,  
Lift you up and fly away with you into the night.  
If you need to fall apart,  
I can mend a broken heart.  
If you need to crash then crash and burn  
You're not alone."

When Jack stopped singing, he put the microphone down and Kate smiled at him. "That's why you're my best mate." She told him sweetly.

"Why's that?" He asked with a nervous laugh.

"Because you're the best." She told him, and leaned to give him a kiss on the cheek, before jumping off of the sofa. "Now, I'm going up to have a shower, you okay clearing up down here?" She asked him.

"Yeah." He said quietly, but smiling nevertheless.

Kate bounded up the stairs with a spring in her step, and Jack remained on the couch, staring at the screen for a moment before he placed a hand over his cheek, the feel of her lips against it still burning there.

* * *

Kate came downstairs only a few minutes later upon realising that there was no shampoo, and Jack called his mother to ask her to pick some up on the way home from work. She said that she would, so Jack and Kate started to watch a movie together. Sadly though, this wasn't the best choice of movie. Even though it was one that they both liked, there was a moment where one of the characters lost thier mother, a clear soft spot for Kate, who got teary and ended up with Jack's arm around her. Yet whenever Jack tried to turn it off, she told him not to because she liked the film anyway.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" Margo called as she came in through the front door later that evening.

"In here, Mom!" Jack called, and she came into the living room.

"Everyone's gone already?" She asked incredulously, also amazed to see that the house was tidy as well as rid of the loud teenagers that she had come to love as she saw them so often.

"Yeah, they had to go for dinner and stuff." Jack told her.

"Hello, Kate, how are you feeling sweetheart?" Margo asked as she stood beside the sofa, smiling as she saw that Jack had his arm around her.

"Much better, thank you." She said politely.

"A day with your friends must be just what you needed." She smiled. "I've put the shampoo on the kitchen table now if you wanted to take a shower now."

"Thanks." She said, and stood up.

"You'll be okay?" Jack asked, remembering how upset she had been a moment ago. The last thing he wanted to do was for her to go into the bathroom and do what she had done to her wrists before.

She gave him a smile. "I'll be fine, stop worrying." She told him, and went back upstairs.

Margo smiled at him, and Jack gave her a strange look. "What?" He asked her, wondering what was bringing that smile to her lips.

"Look at you, the natural protector." She said with pride.

"I don't know what you're talking about." He said innocently, turning back to the television as Margo sat on the edge of the chair.

"I saw the state she came here in last night, Jack, and look at her now. She's got that spark back. Whatever you're doing for her, it's working."

"I'm not doing anything." Jack shrugged.

Margo let out a soft laugh. "Honey, I know love when I see it." She told him, but changed the subject quickly before Jack could even react to what she had just said. "Now, what do you want for dinner?" She asked.

"Anything - as long as it's not popcorn." He said, seeing as he had eaten so much of it that day that if he saw another peice of it, he might just explode.

"Your father's working the night shift again tonight, so how about the three of us order a pizza." She suggested.

"Sounds good to me." Jack said.

"I'll make sure that we get Kate a vegetarian one." Margo remembered, and wandered into the kitchen to phone the pizza.


	7. Trust Issues

As they sat eating the pizza later that night, the talk was rather vauge, mainly because Jack and Kate both craved a food that wasn't popcorn and were so hungry. It was Margo who broke the silence first as she reached for another silce of pizza.

"So, how many neighbours complained about your karaoke today?" She asked with a laugh. Usually the old lady next door would hobble round and complain about the noise, however there was usually too much noise from inside the house for them to hear her knocking on the door.

"Surprisingly...none." Jack told her. "Well, none that we heard."

"They must have been out." Margo nodded.

"Good thing considering Sawyer's singing." Jack laughed.

"More like wailing." Kate jumped in and they both laughed.

"Oh, I'm sure he's not that bad." Margo reasoned, but Kate shook her head.

"No, he really is."

"I can never lsten to that song in the same way again." Jack said, trying to sound upset over it and failing.

"You listened to it in the first place?" Kate asked curiously, and they both erupted in laughted.

Margo smiled softly at them. "It's good to see the two of you laughing together again." She admired. "The past few days you've been so unhappy, especially you, Kate, dear. I hate to see you both so down."

Kate gave her an appreviative smile. "You kinda can't help but he happy here."

"I'm sure Jack's got something to do with that." Margo added, winking at Jack who remembered their earlier conversation.

"She's my best mate, Mom." Jack pointed out. "I'm not going to have her sitting at home on her own and being upset when she can be here having fun."

"That's good to hear." Margo nodded proudly.

"Besides, it wasn't just me." He added. "The others helped too."

Kate shook her head a little. "Yeah, but the others didn't manage to make me smile on the day of my Mom's funeral. Only you could do something like that." She reminded him.

Jack shrugged. "It's a gift."

"Make sure that you have as much pizza as you want, we don't have to save any for your father tonight." Margo reminded them.

"Why is he working the night shift again?" Jack asked unfairly. "That's three nights in a row now."

"That's what happens when you work in the ER." Margo reminded him.

"Stupid if you ask me." Jack said stubbornly.

"He's saving lives, Jack." Margo said. "You'll understand when you're a doctor too."

"I don't want to do ER thought, not unless I have to. I want to do something specific." Jack countered.

"ER is specific." Margo pointed out.

"No, something else." Jack said, shaking his head.

"You'll have to work in the ER sometime, Jack, all surgeons do." She pointed out.

Jack shrugged. "Maybe I'll work in a practice instead then." He suggested. "I don't want to become a workaholic and miss my family. I want to be there." He said quietly.

"I don't mind what you do, Jack." Margo smiled at him. "It's your father you want to talk to about medical things, not me. I'm proud of you whatever you do."

"Well, we both know what Dad's going to say." Jack said sadly.

Kate, who had been quiet throughout the conversation picked this chance to jump in before Jack got the opportunity to say that he hated his father and get in trouble for it again. "It's scary to think that we'll all be going to college at the end of this year." She thought aloud.

"There's not going to be our group anymore." Jack realised.

"That'll be weird. We've been together for so long." She said sadly.

Jack managed to smile. "It's not the end of everything, Kate. We've still got a whole year left, and besides, we're always going to stay in contact with each other."

"I'm going to hold you to that." She said, pointing a finger at him.

"You won't have to." He assured her confidently. "I'd go mad if I didn't get to talk to you everyday."

"I must say, Jack, you're the only person I call every day of our holidays." She laughed.

Margo stood up when she had finished her pizza slice and put her plate over in the sink. "I've got some paperwork to do in the study, so you two can amuse yourselves tonight." She said. "Perhaps there's a movie on or something."

"Sounds good." They said in unison, causing them both to laugh again.

"Not too late to bed, though." Margo chided them. "You've got school tomorrow."

"Okay, Mom." Jack said as she went down the hall.

"And don't forget to set your alarm!" She called back without turning, and then went upstairs.

Kate finished the last of her pizza and stood up. "I'd better ring Tom as well." She said, going over to where her mobile was on the kitchen side.

"You don't have to-" Jack told her, but she shook her head.

"It's okay, I want to." She said, picking up the phone and going to the phone number she knew was Tom's.

"Kate-" Jack stared to try and distract her from it, but he could see that it was something that she needed to do for herself, not just because he wormed her into doing it and then backed down, so he started his sentence again as she looked up at him. "You can use the home phone." He told her, nodding his head towards the hall.

* * *

Out in the hall, Kate listened almost nervously to the dail tone whilst she waited for Tom to answer. What was he going to say when he learned that she was at Jack's again? 

"Hello?"

"Tom?" She asked quietly.

"Kate? Where are you, I've been trying to ring you for hours!" He said, and she could hear a bit of relief, but also a smidge of anger in his voice.

"Sorry, I'm at Jack's." She said softly.

"Oh, the end of summer thing, right." He said slowly. Tom had never really appreciated the end of summer rule because it was something he was never in on. "I thought you would have been home by now."

She braced herself. "I'm staying here tonight."

"What!" He asked loudly. She really didn't understand what Tom's problem with Jack was.

"His Mom wants me to stay." She reasoned. "She doesn't want me to be at home on my own."

"Why, where are your parents?" He asked. That was Tom, always straight to the point, no point messing around with insignificant details.

"Dad's out on one of his pub crawls still I should think." She muttered bitterly.

"What about your Mom?"

Kate went silent when her mother was mentioned, and gradually, as the seconds counted on, the pain of losing her mother came back.

"Kate? Katie, are you still there?"

She took a shaky breath. "Mom died a few days ago, Tom." She told him as strongly as she could, but it still wasn't that strong. Jack heard her voice wavering from the other room, and resisted the temptation to go and see if she was all right.

"What?" Tom asked slowly, like the news was sinking in.

"She's dead. The funeral was yesterday." Kate said sadly.

"Oh, God, Kate. I'm so sorry babe, I didn't know, I- Shit, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that." He babbled.

"It's okay." She said quietly.

"Are you all right?" He asked.

Stupid question really. "No, I'm not all right." She told him. "But I will be. I'm getting there."

"Why didn't you ring me?" Tom asked. "I would have come home, got on an earlier flight to be there with you."

Kate rubbed her forehead. She didn't ring him because she didn't want him there. "My head was all over the place." She explained. "That's why Mrs Shephard brought me here." She thought that maybe it was better to say that Margo took her home rather than Jack.

"How long are you staying there for?" He asked her.

"I'm not sure." She answered. "A few days, maybe, it depends when Dad sorts himself out."

"You can stay here." Tom offered. "Mom won't mind, I'll talk her round."

Kate resisted the urge to scream. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate the offer, but his family hated her. "Thanks, but I'm okay here." She said calmly.

"You'd rather be with Jack than with me, is that what you're saying?" He asked defensively.

"Tom, please-"

"You rang him, didn't you?" He accused her. "When your Mom died, you rang Jack instead of me."

"I doesn't matter who I called, Tom." She told him strongly. "He's my best friend. I needed someone and he was there."

"And I'm your boyfriend." He reminded her hotly, but then calmed down again. "You can come stay here with me, it's no hassel, really, we'd love to have you here."

"Tom, it's fine." Kate told him again. "Mrs Shephard wants me to stay here so that she can keep an eye on things."

"Then say things are fine and come here instead." Tom suggested like it was the simplest thing in the world.

Kate was disgusted at that. "I'm not going to lie to her, Tom! She's really trying to make me feel at home here. She's being wonderful to me. They all are."

"I can look after you, Katie." He assured her.

"I'm fine here, Tom." She repeated. "I don't need looking after."

"Kate-"

"Just leave it, Tom. I'm staying here." She said stubbornly.

"Well, if that's how you want it to be." He said bitterly.

"Tom, don't be like this." She said tiredly.

"Like what?"

"This!" She said exasperatedly. "Why does there always have to be some kind of competition between you and Jack?"

Jack, in the living room, now knew for sure that it was definately dangerous to go into the hall right now and see if she was okay.

"Because you're spending more time with him than me!" He told her.

"And I repeat, he's been my best friend for ten years." Kate said simply.

"And I love you, doesn't that mean anything?" He asked her.

Kate pressed her hands into her eyes for a moment. "For ten seconds, can we pretend that this isn't all about you?" She asked as she tried to stop the tears forming in her eyes, yet they still did. "My Mom's dead, and Jack and his family are being absolutely amazing to me. I call you up the day after the funeral and all I get is the third degree about staying with Jack." She said, relaying the situation in her head and realising just how out of order he was being.

"Maybe if I didn't have a reason to be so worried-"

"Worried?" She cut him off. "About what?"

"Nevermind." He told her. "You wouldn't understand."

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean, you've always been closer to him than you have to me, Kate." He continued as if he hadn't heard her last question.

Kate opened her eyes again, her eyes meeting on a picture of the group from a barbeque last year. She was sitting on a sun lounger whilst Jack stood beside her with the garden hose in the middle of spraying her and the other girls with it whilst the guys were laughing. Tom wasn't in that picture. It was the end of summer last year.

"You don't trust me, do you?" She realised slowly. "You don't trust me around Jack."

"All I'm saying is-"

Kate cut him off again. "Oh for the love of God, Tom! Will you listen to yourself? You're acting like I'm cheating on you!"

There was a small silence, and then - "Are you?"

Again, Kate was disgusted. "How can you even ask me that?"

"Well, how am I to know what's going on when I'm not there?" He asked her. "For all I know you could be sleeping in his bed doing God knows what behind my back!"

Kate knew not to tell him that in fact she was sleeping in Jack's bed, but knew that straight away he would assume what he thought was right. "Is that really what you think of me?" She asked, clearly heartbroken, and that was when Jack got over the fear of her yelling at him and went and stood in the doorway just behind her, waiting to be the one to catch her when she hung up the phone.

"Kate, I love you, and I want to be the only one that your heart belongs to." Tom told her.

"Well," She gulped back a sob. "I think you've just given your chance of that."

"Kate, wait-"

"Goodbye, Tom." She said and put the phone down before she heard him say anything else. She took a deep shakey breath, and tried to steady herself. She had just broken up with Tom. What was happening to her? She had admitted that morning to Jack that she didn't love him, and now she had just broken up with him that same day.

She turned on the spot, and saw Jack standing behind her already. He saw the unshed tears in her eyes and shook his head slowly, feeling such a hatred for Tom that if Kate wasn't there, he would have gone round to Tom's to make him realise what he was losing in Kate.

"What did he do?" He asked her.

She just shook her head, and he went over to her, taking her into his arms and holding her tightly whilst she cried.

* * *

A/N: Some major cuteness in the next chapter! 


	8. The One Who Won't Be A Jerk

I know that I promised you a lot of Jate in this chapter, so hopefully I haven't sold it short. This was originally going to come at the end of the last chapter, but I felt it deserved a chapter of it's own. Enjoy!  
Angel  
Xxx

* * *

A while later, Jack and Kate were sitting on the edge of his bed together, opting for an early night, or rather, just wanting to be together comfortably with out having to move later on that night to get to bed. Kate had changed into at t-shirt Jack had leant her and sweat pants, and Jack had done the same. Trust her to put her only set of night clothes in the washing machine earlier on. They were still soaking, and she had to admit, she didn't mind sleeping in Jack's clothes. He had his arm around her, holding her head to his shoulder as she cried, and she held onto the arm that held her there as if it were her only lifeline.

"I can't believe him!" She sobbed. "How could he think of me? How can he?"

"It's all right, Katie, whatever he said, he's wrong." Jack assured her softly, stroking her hair, keeping her close to him with the small hope that this would calm her down.

"Of course he's wrong!" She agreed. "He thought that I was cheating on him." She looked up at him with a pastey white face, tears staining her cheeks. "I'm not cheating on him, Jack, I'm really not!" She said, pleading with him to believe her.

He put a hand on the side of her face to try and calm her down. "I know. I know you're not." He told her.

"He made it out that I was betraying him by staying here." She explained. "How can he say that? He wasn't here! I needed him and he wasn't here!" She broke down crying again, and he pulled her back against him.

"Hey, it's okay, it's alright." He felt such hatred towards Tom. The pair had never gotten on, and she knew that. Tom was always jealous of Kate and Jack, because with Jack, she never needed to close herself off. He knew what was going through her mind without a second thought, just by looking at how she was acting, her body language and eyes telling him all he needed to know. Yet, with Tom, he never knew, because she blocked herself off. He only knew what she wanted him to know, and compared to what Jack knew, that was very little.

"He's such an asshole." She cried.

"I know he is." Jack told her. "Look at me." She didn't move. "Kate, look at me." She raised her head from his shoulder and met his gaze. "Right, now close your eyes." She gave him a confused look. "Close...your...eyes." He said slowly. She did so, and he continued talking softly. "Just relax.You're here, you're safe, you can relax. He's going to be sorry for what he said, so you stop worring. And if he's not sorry, when he's going to have lost the best thing in the world, Kate. Forget everything he's said to you, forget everything that everyone has ever said that's brought you down, and remember what an incredible person you are."

Jack's words brought tears through Kate's still closed eyes. Had Jack really just suggested that she was the best thing in the world, or was he just trying to comfort her? "This can't be happening. It can't be happening."

"It is happening." He confirmed. "But you're going to get through it, no matter what."

She shook her head. "I should have known this would happen."

Jack cupped her face again gently. "Kate, you can't go through life thinking that everyone you need is going to let you down."

"But its true." She argued weakly.

"Kate, open your eyes." She did, and looked up at him. "Have I ever let you down?" He asked her.

"No." She sniffed.

"And do you need me?" She nodded meekly. She needed him more than anything. "See, there's one person, and it doesn't stop there." He told her with a smile. "I'm never going to walk out and leave you, Kate. Not in a million years." She smiled, and hugged him again, this time not clinging to him desperately, but rather just glad that he was there. "He's an idiot for letting you go. Anyone who's got you for their girlfriend should hold onto you forever."

She shook her head, sniffing again. "Somehow, I don't think that's going to happen."

"Yeah it will." Jack assured her as she pulled back to sit beside him, their shoulders against each others and thier hands still entwined. "You've just got to find the one who's not going to be a jerk."

She rolled her eyes and looked at him. "Jack, the only male in my life who has never been a jerk is you." She told him. "And I don't think we need to prove Claire and Shannon right." Jack, however, would have liked nothing more than to prove them right. "Besides... it's kind of hard to prove them wrong when you've got Sarah.

Jack looked away from her and sighed. "I haven't got Sarah." He revealed.

"What?" She asked, unsure that she had heard him right.

"I'm not with Sarah anymore." He told her, looking back at her.

"Why didn't you say anything?" She asked him, giving him a concerned look. He thought it was strange how her frame of mind could turn so quickly.

"Because just when I got in from seeing her, and was about to pick up the phone to call you, you rang to tell me about your Mom." He remembered. "The last thing I wanted to do was weigh you down with my problems as well." He shrugged. "And to be honest...I haven't given her a single thought since you've been here." He added quietly.

"Oh, Jack." She sighed, hugging him again. "You know that you could have told me."

"I know, but-"

"No buts." She shook her head. "You should have said."

He let out a small laugh. "You're as bad as me sometimes, you know that? Stubborn to the bone."

She smiled. "Two of a kind."

He shook his head. "Two in a million, more like." He changed. "I don't think I've ever spoken to someone the way that I can talk to you."

She nodded. "Same here." Then she frowned. "What does that say for us?" She asked.

"What do you mean?" He asked her.

"That we've been in relationships with Tom and Sarah, but all the time we've been able to talk to each other and be around each other more comfortably. What does that mean?" She asked again.

He thought for a moment, and then answered. "It means that it doesn't matter who you're in a relationship with, your best friend will always be your best friend."

"Even when we go away to college?" She asked.

"Especially then." He nodded. "It doesn't matter who I meet out there, I'm never going to forget you and love you any less than I do now."

She smiled sadly. "I wish we didn't have to go seperate ways."

"We might not." He said hopefully. "We might get into the same college."

"I hardly think that I'm going to get into a medical course." She said with a gentle laugh.

"Maybe not the same course, but the same place." He said.

She shook her head. "But your Dad wants you to go to New York." She pointed out. "I couldn't afford to move out there."

"Forget my Dad." He told her. "I'm not leaving you behind." He put his arm around her shoulder, and they both sighed. "Come on, let's get some sleep."

She nodded and together they crawled into the double bed. They lay apart for a few minutes, and then simultaeneously shuffled into the centre of the bed and lay in each others arms. She let out a gentle laugh at the irony of the fact that Kate was accused of cheating on Tom with Jack, and now they were laying in his bed, in each others arms.

"What's so funny?" He asked her.

"This is what Tom accused me of." She told him. "Well...part of it."

"We don't have to, we can-" He said and started to shuffle backwards, but she held onto him tightly.

"No, its okay. I'm comfy." She told him with a smile.

"Night, Kate." He told her.

"Night."

When he was sure that she was asleep, he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, but his lips lingered longer upon her skin, his breathe dancing against it for a moment...and unknown to him, she was still awake. She felt his heart racing where her head was rested on his chest, and smiled to herself. Why did she suddenly feel so different about Jack? She felt satisfied, almost, that being close to him was making his heart race. It was like the increasing beating below her ear was proving something to her, something that she didn't understand, but that she was greatful for. As she drifted into sleep, she remembered something that Claire had said to her at an odd moment when no one could overhear earlier that day.

_Don't tell me that there's nothing there, Kate. Look at you both. How can you tell me that there's nothing but friendship there? When you found out about your Mom, you called Jack, and he was there, straight away. He hasn't left your side for more than five minutes. He cares about you, Kate. _

_Don't be silly, Claire, he's with Sarah._

_He might be, but his heart doesn't belong to her. His heart belongs to you, and it always has. Ever since you came into our group ten years ago. You're a best friend to all of us, Kate, but you and Jack, that's not friendship...that's love. The perfect love that you see in movies._

_I doubt it._

_Just wait, he'll prove it to you soon enough, if he hasn't already with everything that he does for you. _


	9. Friendship Lasts Forever

"Kate..."

"Please?"

"We can't."

"Why not?"

"Because we have to go to school."

Jack felt like a parent. For once, he could appreciate the efforts his mother went through every morning of primary school when she would sometimes fight to get him to get out of bed. Now, he was sitting on the side of his bed, fully clothed in jeans and a t-shirt whilst trying to tempt Kate out of the ball that had become of his quilt. She didn't want to go to school.

"I don't want to go." She told him. She didn't want to have to face Tom.

"Kate, you've got to." He reminded her.

"Make me." She said simple, not surfacing from where she was curled up comfortably beneath the blankets.

Jack titled his head to one side with a determined expression on his face, even though she couldn't see it. "I'll pick you up and carry you there if I have to." He said, almost daring her to compromise him on that.

"Sounds better than walking." She replied dully.

"C'mon, Katie, we've gotta go." He begged.

"But it's going to be awful!" She protested.

"At least come for my sake." He reasoned, and her head appeared from out of the blankets to give him a strange look.

"Your sake?"

"Yeah, my sake." He repeated, and she continued to give him a strange look. "If you don't turn up at school then the guys are going to think that I've screwed you senseless all night and you're too tired to come into school."

Kate giggled. "They will?"

"Trust me. They will." Jack nodded seriously, but Kate laughed out loud.

"That could be interesting." She said when she finally stopped laughing.

"Interesting..." Jack agreed. "...but something we'd never hear the end of. Now come on." He tried again.

Kate threw her head back against the pillow and stared at him with pleading eyes. "But he'll be there!" She pointed out.

Jack nodded, knowing she was talking about Tom. "Yeah, he will." He said, with no reason to lie to her and tell her that he wouldn't be there when he would be.

"Exactly!" She said, settling into her ball again but keeping her face visible.

"Kate, look at me." She did. "Everything is going to be fine." He told her clearly. "Absolutely fine."

She kept her eye contact with him but gave him a sad look. "He'll yell at me." She muttered quietly, like a child afraid of getting in trouble.

"No, he won't, because I won't let him." Jack told her.

Kate smirked. "You can't protect me all the time, Jack." She reminded him, even though Jack would go to the ends of the Earth to try.

"No, but I can try." He smiled.

She thought it over for a moment, and then smiled at him. "You're an angel, you know that?" She said, and Jack stood up, holding his hand out to her and knowing that he'd won.

"Just missing my wings." When she didn't move, he threw back the quilt to reveal her laying there in his clothes from the night before. "Now come on, Mom's done breakfast." He told her.

* * *

Kate made no further protests about going to school, and Margo drove them seeing as it wasn't exactly the best weather out. It was looking to rain after several days of warm sunshine, and neither of the kids wanted to get wet. Their first lesson was science - Jack's favourite, Kate's worst. Yet they were both getting A's in the lesson, and were favourite students of Dr. Arzt, the crazy science teacher who complained at everyone - even his favourites.

About halfway through what everyone agreed to be a dull lesson, the door was opened and the headteacher, Mr Locke, appeared in the doorway in his wheelchair. All the students in the room looked up, welcoming the distraction from cellular mitosis, and each hoping that he was going to announce a fire drill or something just to stop them going crazy.

"Sorry to interrupt your lesson, Dr. Arzt." Mr Locke began with his usual friendly smile. "But might I borrow Kate for a moment please?"

Locke looked over to where Kate was sitting at the back of the room between Jack and Claire, doodling random scribbles on her folder. She looked up at her name, and frowned. "Me?"

Neither of them paid attention to her, though. "Of course." Dr Arzt told Locke. He looked over at the three at the back. "Jack, Claire, make sure you give Kate a chance to copy your notes after the lesson." He said, and then excused Kate from the room.

Kate gave a confused glance to Jack who shrugged in return and followed old Mr Locke out into the hallway.

"Am I in trouble, Mr Locke?" She asked him when they got into the hall and started moving towards his office down the hall.

"No, Kate, you're not in trouble." He assured her.

"Okay." She said, and followed him quietly to his office.

Once inside, she took a seat before his desk whilst he placed himself behind it and looked at her for a moment.

"I had a call from Margo Shepherd this morning, Jack's mother." He informed her.

"Oh." Kate said, and realised why she was hear. She was going to get the "I'm-sorry-for-your-loss-is-there-anything-I-can-do?" talk.

"She mentioned that you lost your mother recently."

Kate nodded simply. "Yeah, almost a week ago now." She said quietly.

"How are you feeling?" He asked her. It was the first time anyone besides Jack's family had actually asked her that, and whilst she was a little surprised, she simple shrugged.

"Okay, I guess." Anyone could tell from that tone that she simply didn't wish to speak about it, so Mr Locke nodded slowly.

"I understand that you're staying with Jack's family." He said, more of a statement than a question.

She nodded again. "Yeah, they've been really good to me." She told him.

"Not at home with your father?"

She froze for a moment, but didn't let Locke see this. He didn't know what went on at home with her father. He didn't know what happened when his mother wasn't around to step in, and how she was scared that she was going to suffer even more now that her mother wasn't ever going to be there to step in again. She quickly came up with a lie to get herself out of the question.

"We have relatives staying at the moment." She shrugged. "I don't like being in the house...too many memories there."

"I see." Locke said, noticing how she wasn't meeting his eyes. "How long are your relatives staying for?" He asked her with a soft frown.

"I don't know." She shrugged. "A few days, maybe more." Of course she didn't know when they were leaving, they weren't even staying there. Mind you, the Mona Lisa could be hanging on her bedroom wall right then and she wouldn't have known it.

"How long will you be staying at Jack's house for?" He asked.

"As long as they'll have me." She said simply. "I don't like being at home without Mom there, it's not the same, and Jack's Mom has always been like a second Mom to me anyway."

"It's good that you have poeple around you that can take you in under such circumstances." Locke nodded, and then settled back in his chair, watching her curiously. "You know, Kate, I've been a headmaster of this school for a long time, and I see a lot of students pass through these doors. Some of them, I might forget, but others, I don't. You and Jack Shepherd had become inseperable long before you first walked through those doors, and whilst I've seen many best friends falling out and fighting in my time, I've never seen seen that happen with the two of you." He mused.

Kate gave him a small smile. "We're very close, sir." She explained simply.

"Friendship lasts forever, Kate. It overcomes all obstacles, more than love."

"It does?" She asked, having grown up being told that love conquers all, not friendship.

"Even when the two of you are married with children, I know that the two of you will always be the best of friends." He smiled, and Kate half considered referring him to Claire for a discussion like that, but knew better than to let her headteacher in on Claire's plans for them. "You can go back to your lesson now." He smiled at her

She stood up and went to the door. "Thank you, Mr Locke."

"You're more than welcome, Kate. If you need anything, you know where to find me."

"Okay." She said, and went to open the door, but stopping when he called out to her again.

"Oh, and Kate?" She turned with the door ajar a little. "Stay out of trouble."

* * *

"What was that about?" Claire asked when she sat back down in the lesson.

"He just wanted to say that he was sorry about Mom and to let him know if there was anything he could do." She said quietly.

"You okay?" Jack asked her when Claire went back to scribbling over the notes that Kate was meant to be copying. He knew that any mention of her mother sent her into a quiet phase.

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm good." She said, giving him a convincing smile.

"Are you-"

"Shepherd! Austen!" Arzt snapped across the room.

"Sorry, sir!" They both apologized on impulse. It wasn't the first time that lesson it had happened.

"If I have to stop my lesson because you're talking one more time you'll both be in detention." He warned them - the same warning from the past sixteen times he had stopped them.

Both Jack and Kate giggled silently at each other, and across the room, Tom glared at them, jealous that Kate was sitting laughing with Jack and not with him.


	10. Figure of Speech

Chapter Ten

As Kate made her way from her English lesson to the lunch table she was bumped into by about thirty people. She had to stay a few minutes extra to discuss something with the teacher, and as she made her way through the corridors she saw that everyone else was already eating their lunch. Most people were crowded into the corridors because it had started raining now as Margo had predicted.

When she had moved away from her locker, she walked straight into Michael.

"Hey, Kate!" He said brightly, and hugged her quickly having not seen her since the end of last term.

"Hi, Michael. Good summer?" She asked him.

"Yeah...heard about your Mom. I'm sorry." He said, but she smiled.

"It's okay."

"Uh, I thought I'd let you know that Tom's looking for you." He told her. "He asked me if I'd seen you a few minutes ago."

Kate bit her lip. "Uh oh."

"Is that bad?" Michael asked her.

"Uh...kinda." She said awkwardly. "We're not together anymore."

Michael looked embarrased at having said the wrong thing again. "Oh, sorry!" He said.

"No, it's fine." Kate assured him. "Listen, thanks for the heads up." She smiled gently.

"No problem, mate. I'll see you in math."

"See you later."

Groaning inwardly, she went into the canteen and sat down with the others, squeezing in between Shannon and Jack.

"Hey, have you been in English all this time?" Jack asked her, handing her the lunch she had asked him to pick up for her. Baked beans on a jacket potato...not the best cafeteria lunch, but one of the better menus of the school.

"No, I saw Michael in the corridor." She explained. "He said that-"

"Kate!" Tom's voice called over.

Kate groaned, and finished her sentence "-Tom's looking for me."

"Kate!" He called again, having gotten no reaction from her.

"This isn't gonna be good." Kate said shaking her head.

"Hey, chin up, I'm right behind you." Jack reminded her, nudging her under the chin to prove his point.

"Kate." Tom said, softer now because he was standing right behind her. Kate looked over her shoulder at him.

"Hi Tom." She said quietly.

"I need to talk to you." He said, getting straight to the point.

"And I need to eat, because I'm hungry." She argued, starting to eat her baked potato.

"Kate, for the love of God..." He started and Kate stood up angrily.

"Fine!" She argued. "But not here."

They walked over to the edge of the canteen, where they were away from the others. Jack scooted along the bench to where Kate had just been sitting so that he could watch them.

"This is not going to be good." He said, repeating what Kate had said to Shannon.

"Jack, don't." Shannon said shaking her head. "Don't step in on this one."

"She's my best friend, Shan, if something goes wrong I can't just-"

"Yes, you can." She told him. "She's got to do this herself."

* * *

"What happened last night, Katie?" Tom asked as soon as they were out of earshot of the other students.

"We broke up, Tom, that's what happened." She said simply.

He sighed a little. "So you're sticking to it then?" He checked.

She nodded firmly. "Yeah, I am."

"I thought that you might have reconsidered after you'd calmed down-"

"Calmed down?" Kate asked, cutting him off, but he continued anyway.

"-'Cause it's not good to make big decisions when you're upset. Just 'cause your Mom died it doesn't mean that you have to push me away the first chance you get."

Kate looked at him with a mixture of hurt and disgust on her face. "You make me sick." She told him bitterly. "You think that I broke up with you because Mom died?"

"I understand that it's a hard time-" He started but she shook her head, cutting him off as tears started to form in her eyes, but she was determined not to cry. No, she wasn't going to cry again.

"No, you don't!" She protested. "You don't understand what I'm going through at all."

"And Jack does?" He challenged.

"Don't bring him into this, Tom." She said shaking her head.

"So you're saying that he understansd and I don't." He deducted.

Slowly, she shook her head. "No, he doesn't. Neither of you understand because when you go home after school, or this weekend, you'll be able to see your Moms, because they're still here and mine isn't."

"Then why go to him?" Tom asked, jealousy overtaking him.

"Because he was there." She explained. "I needed you both. I needed my best friend and my boyfriend, but you weren't there, Tom. Jack was. You know why?"

"Why, Kate?" He asked her irritably, knowing that she was going to tell him whether he asked or not.

"Because he's always there. Whenever I need him, he's always there, and you're not. You're never there." She said, shaking her head over and over again.

He looked at her angrily, and for some reason, she took a step backwards from him. "Don't you dare say that!" He told her quietly, but with so much anger in it that it scared her. "I've always been here for you."

"When Dad hit me, where were you?" She challenged him. He didn't answer. "When I found out that my Mom was dying, where were you? When I had to watch her dying, where were you? When I had to spend a day in a graveyard, buring her, where were you? Where were you, Tom?" She asked him again, unshed tears breaking her voice. "Where were you? Because you weren't where I needed you to be."

"Kate-" He said, his voice softening as he went to explain but Kate cut him off.

"And then you accuse me of cheating on you." She finished.

"I was upset, Kate, I didn't know what to think." He reasoned. "I get home from Africa and you've been sleeping at Jack's. What the hell was I supposed to think?"

"I would have hoped that you would have trusted me enough not to think of anything." She said, folding her arms over her chest so that he wouldn't see them shaking with frustration.

"It's hard not to think of something like that when you're closer to him than you are to me." He said, and she frowned at him. "It's always been about him, Kate, never me. I offer for you to come and stay with me, but you'd rather stay with him. Why?"

"You wouldn't understand." She said, and went to walk away, but he grabbed her arm and made her stay.

"Try me." He said.

So she did.

"Because you make me dwell on it." She explained. "You don't mean to, but you treat me like I'm made of glass and that I'm going to shatter with anything that touches me. Jack distracts me from that. He doesn't try to make me forget it, he just helps me to move on."

Kate and Tom looked at each other for a long time before he looked away, laughing to himself and then looked back at her, and she could see the hurt in his face.

"Why can't you love me as much as you love him?" He asked her quietly.

"Tom-"

"No, forget it." He said, wishing he hadn't said that last part. "See you around." And with that he walked off.

* * *

Kate returned to the table, sitting back down in the space that had reappeared between Shannon and Jack.

"What did he have to say for himself?" Shannon asked bitterly, having been filled in that morning about the details of the break up. Although secretly the others were thrilled at both break ups because it now meant that they could set Jack and Kate up after all these years.

"Nothing, it's fine." Kate said, going silently back to her baked potato, yet playing with it, not eating it.

"Well, nothing's got you rather teary." Sawyer pointed out from across the table.

"It's nothing." Kate insisted, and the others kept their questions to themselves whilst Jack, saying nothing, put his hand on her back and rubbed it for a moment.

* * *

Sitting in maths, they were told to do work quietly, and seeing as Tom was sitting in the row in front of them, Jack and Kate carried out their conversation through notes.

_So, are you going to tell me what happened, or am I going to have to guess?  
Jack xxx_

_He doesn't trust me at all.  
Kate xxx_

_He's a loser, Kate, you don't need him. xxx _

Don't get ahead of yourself, he doesn't trust you either, Wonderboy. xxx

He's never trusted me. Besides, I don't care what he thinks. xxx

So you don't care that he thinks we're doing more than we really are at night? xxx

What do you mean? xxx

_He thinks that I'm sleeping in your bed at night. xxx_

_Well you are. xxx_

_Yeah...but...he thinks we're doing...something else...not sleeping. xxx_

_As in...something that makes you sleepy? xxx_

_Maybe on your part. xxx_

_Woah...maybe he should talk to Claire and Shannon_

_Jack! Not helping!_

_Sorry, well, it would be really bad if we were proving him right though._

_Sometimes I feel like doing something like that just to spite him._

_...should I be watching my back, Kate?_

_It's just a figure of speech, Jack._

_So you're not going to jump me in the middle of the night?_

_No._

_Good. I can sleep then._

_...You weren't going to?_

_And sleep through THAT? Are you CRAZY?_

_Jack! Behave!_

_Relax...I'm only messing with you...besides...I know you well enough to know that you wouldn't. xxx_

_At least that's one person who does. xxx_

_Come on, we better actually pay attention before Mr Andrews catches us passing notes again and reads it out infront of the class. xxx_

_Good idea, especially with you-know-who sitting infront of us. Oh, Jack?_

_Yeah?_

_What's the answer to question 6?_

_I was just gonna ask you that._


	11. In Thirty Years Time

Chapter Eleven:

The pair walked home from school, seeing as the rain was over and the sun was shining again. It wasn't a long walk back to Jack's house, but they had to go the opposite way to the rest of them who walked over the back field and jumped the fence, except on days when Shannon wore a skirt, which was nearly every day.

"So, was that as bad as you thought it would be?" Jack asked her once the others had walked off in the other direction.

"Hmm...besides a load of people telling me they were sorry about my Mom, and arguing with Tom again...I guess not." She said with a smile.

"See, I told you that it would be fine." He said, nudging her shoulder with his whilst they walked.

"Could have gone better, though." She shrugged.

"Could have gone worse." He said, trying to bring some optimism into the conversation. "At least you're still smiling."

She couldn't surpress the smile from that, but changed the subject anyway. "I can't believe Mr Douglas says we have to apply for college now." She complained. "I mean, what if I change my mind at the end of the year?"

"You can always change your course at the last minute." Jack reminded her.

"If I go." She pointed out.

"Kate, stop worrying about not getting into college." He told her. "You're getting straight A's - of course you're going to get in."

"It's not that..." She told him.

"Then what are you worrying about?" He asked her.

"I'm thinking...maybe...I don't really want to go to college." She turned to him as they walked and held up her hands in mock defence as he went to speak. "Now, I know that you're going to tell me otherwise, but I'm really starting to think that it's not for me." She explained.

"But Kate..." He protested. "You're getting the best grades possible...are you going to waste that?"

"No," She assured him. "But I don't know what I want to do with my life yet." She shrugged. "I don't know what sort of career I want, or where I'm going to work...I need time to figure that out."

"We're not heading off for another year." He pointed out. "There's still time."

She frowned a little. "I'm still not sure." She told him. "There's nothing stopping me from going to college when I'm a bit older, and I'll have more to fall back on if it doesn't work out then as well."

"I thought that you wanted to get away from here, though." Jack reminded her. Kate was always going on about how much she wanted to run and get away from this place.

"I do...but I can still do that without college." She told him.

"What? Just...move away?" He asked her.

"Yeah, start over somewhere new." She said with a smile on her face.

"On your own?" Jack pried.

She nodded. "It'd be hard, yeah, and kinda scary...but I guess so."

Jack grinned as he got a brainwave. "I've got a better idea." He said, very pleased with himself at his idea.

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah...come with me." He told her.

"Come with you?" She asked with a laugh.

"Yeah, why not?" He asked.

"You'll be living in a dorm...and I'm not living underneath your bed off of scraps of food from the canteen." She told him, remembering the conversation they'd had a while ago about how if for some wacked up reason she didn't get into college Jack insisted that he would hide her away in his dormroom.

"No, not like that." He told her. "I mean, we'll get a place out there. Be flatmantes...roomies...and then I won't have to live in the dorms." He explained.

Kate have him an exaggurated look of shock. "Jack Shepherd, are you asking me to move in with you?" She asked him, acting touched and pretending to get teary as she put her hand on her heart.

"Are you saying yes?" He asked her.

"Are you serious?" She giggled.

"If you say yes, I'm serious. If you say no, I'm joking." He said with a smirk.

She looked at him for a moment, and then smiled, shaking her head. "I guess you're being serious." She told him.

"You're saying yes?" He asked, making sure that he hadn't misunderstood her.

"I must be mad, but ... I'm saying yes." She told him.

Jack looked slightly amazed. "Woah...I didn't think you were going to say yes." He admitted as they started walking.

"Why ask me then?" She said with a laugh.

"Not sure...hope?" He suggested.

"So you were hoping that I'd move in with you?" She questioned.

Jack realised that he had somehow talked himself into a corner and just laughed. "If there was anyone I had to pick to be my roomie, it would be you." He told her.

"One condition." Kate told him. "You're doing the cooking."

Jack nodded. "I'm not arguing with that." She thumped him lightly on the arm but they both laughed because it definately didn't hurt. "You do realise that we can never tell the others about this, right?" He pointed out to her.

"How come?"

"Because they'll ask me when I'm proposing to you." He said simply, knowing that they definately would.

Kate smirked. "Oh really...so, when are you going to propose to me?" She challenged him.

Jack almost seemed to blush, and then had another brainwave. "Tell you what...let's make a deal." He suggested.

"What kind of deal?" She asked suspiciously.

"If we're not with someone by the time we're thirty, I'll propose to you." He told her, and she turned her head to look at him.

"Thirty?" She said with a playful frown. "Don't most people make this promise for when they're forty?" She asked him.

"Yeah, but we're doing it for thirty." He told her.

"Why?"

"Becuase if I'm going to marry you, then I want it to have time to be a good marriage. I want it to last." He explained. "I mean, not that you can't do that at forty, but hey, and extra ten years, who's going to argue that?"

Kate giggled. "If I didn't know any better, Jack, I'd say you've been planning this for a while." She teased him.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say you were enjoying the idea, Kate." He said, and they caught each others eye and smiled. "Besides..." He added, "I don't want kids when I'm forty...I won't be able to run around and play with them because I'm old."

"Forty isn't old, you know." Kate pointed out to him. "And besides, you always said that breeding with me would be dangerous because the kid would never sit still and never do as they're told, and would always use the puppy dog eyes against everyone." She reminded him.

"Yeah, but that doesn't matter." He shrugged off. "They'd have my genes to balance it out." Kate thumped him again and this time he pretended to be hurt.

"And you're sure I can't tell the girls this?" She cheched.

"Absolutely not." He said with certainty.

"But Jaaaaaack..." She pleaded, drawing out the vowel in his name. "That's what I'm supposed to do!"

"Oh yeah, how?"

"When a guy promises anything like this this I'm meant to go to the nearest phone and call them and chat for hours about it." She said, remembering what Shannon had told her the minute she had started dating Tom.

"But you're not going to." He said, making her mind up for her with a smile.

"And why's that?" She asked him.

"Because you're coming home with me, and we're going to play the PlayStation." He said, and started running ahead. "Race ya!"

A/N: Just a quick one I'll put up whilst I'm suffering a family bbq...enjoy!


	12. Do NOT Look Down Jack

Awww hugs I love you guys so much! From here on, I'm starting to use some of the classic jate scenes from the show into this story, making them more teenage. I think we'll open with the golf challenge...

* * *

Chapter Twelve:

"Holy Crap!" Kate cried out as she lost control of the car and crashed it into the side wall of the race track. The screen flashed up 'Player One wins', and Jack laughed.

"I told you, Kate, you've gotta press the skid button when you go around the corners." He reminded her.

She looked over at him and raised her eyebrow. "You're giving me tips?" She asked incredulously.

"Kate, I'm a guy." He told her, as if that explained everything.

"So you think you could do better?" She asked playfully. She heard Margo laugh from across the room where she was reading her book, but they knew that she wasn't laughing at the book.

"Anyone can drive a car with a controller...that's not winning." He said, trying to appear confident that he could beat her.

"Then what's winning?" She asked him.

"Winning needs accuracy." He pointed out.

Kate looked away and then back again devilishly. "Then, why don't we do two player one more time and see which one of us is more accurate?" She asked him in a tone of voice that Claire and Shannon would consider as flirtatious.

"My, my." Margo piped up as she looked over at the pair. "Is this fighting talk?"

Kate grinned, and turned back to Jack, who eyes her suspiciously. "You're kidding right...'cause I'd mop the floor with you." Margo laughed louder this time, and Jack's ego dropped to the floor and got kicked under the rug with that.

"Three races, best of wins. We play for bragging rights." She told him.

Jack nodded. "What are we waiting for?"

Kate started setting the game up to start again, but then turned back to Jack. "Have you got a coin?" She asked him.

"Kate, we're not playing for money." He told her, shaking his head.

"Heads or tails...see who picks first course." She corrected him.

"Here, I've got one." Margo told them. "Kate, heads or tails?"

"Tails." Kate said.

"Tails it is."

Kate smiled, and Jack shook his head. "How do you do that every time?" He asked her. She always won heads or tails. Even when he picked tails he would lose.

"It's a gift." She said innocently.

"Go on then, you pick first." He said, and she started to flick through the different course options, particularly the harder, more advanced courses. "You know, we can do the beginner courses if-"

"Shut up, Jack." She told him, still smiling, and Margo laughed to herself as she left the room to start dinner.

They played three games, and whilst Jack won the first game, Kate won the second two, leaving her as the winner, and Jack was left comforting what was left of his ego.

"You know that I just let you win, right?" He told her, covering up the fact that she had won fair and square.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night." She said as she climbed to her feet. Jack was about to say that having her in his arms helped him sleep at night, especially after waking up to the warm feeling of having her curled against his side as he had done that morning. Instead, he wondered where she was walking off to.

"Hey, where do you think you're going?" He asked her. "I want a rematch."

"I'm going to have a shower before dinner." She told him. "Besides...you should practice some more before we have a rematch...'cause you suck." She said, notioning towards the screen before walking out of the room.

* * *

Later on, Jack was sorting something out in his room when Margo called to him from the laundry cupboard to knock on the bathroom door and let Kate know that dinner would be ready in a moment. He walked over to it, his hand raised to knock when it was opened before he had a chance, and he came face to face with Kate...wearing nothing but a towel around her.

"Sorry." They both said at the same time.

"Nice shower?" Jack asked, as he tried with all his might to keep himself looking at her face. _Do NOT look down, _he told himself. He didn't trust himself to look down.

"Yeah, you having one next?" She asked. "I would have left it on, but...yeah." She said.

"Doesn't matter." Jack told her. "Dinner will be ready in a second anyway." _Don't look down. Don't even think about it, Jack._

"Okay...you could use one." She told him with a nod, gathering her clothes up from the edge of the bath. _Oh my god...was he just checking me out..._

"I'll have one later." He told her with a smile.

"Okay...uh...well...I'm going to get dressed." She said, and Jack jumped out of the way, realising that he was blocking her way out of the bathroom, and she went past him, as Margo came out of the laundry cupboard at the same time.

"Ah, Kate, you're out. Dinner will be ready soon, honey." She told her.

"Okay." Kate smiled.

"I've put the hairdryer on Jack's bed if you wanted to use it." She smiled.

"Thanks."

"No problem, honey." Kate disappeared into Jack's room, and Margo turned to look at Jack...who was staring after Kate as if she was an angel walking the earth. "Jack, honey, close your mouth before the flies get in it." She told him.

"Sorry." He said, shaking himself out of his thoughts. He mentally slapped himself. He had looked down as she walked away from him, and he scolded himself for looking at his best friends butt.

"And stop staring, it's rude." Margo reminded him.

"I know...I uh..." He tried to explain, but seemed to have lost command of his tongue.

Margo smiled. "Oh, Jack, you haven't only just relised that Kate's a girl, have you?" She asked him sweetly.

"What?" He asked, looking at her strangely.

"She's always been running around like one of the boys, it's not surprising that you forget she's a girl."

Jack shook his head. "I know she's a girl." He confirmed. He knew all right. Everything she did recently seemed to remind him of that.

"I'm not surprised after this little run in. You know, Jack, you've never looked at Sarah like that." Margo told him.

Jack answered slowly, like he was not really paying attention as he started still at his bedroom door. "No...I guess not." He said, clearly distracted by the fact that he could see the door, and knew that Kate was changing behind it.

"Is it because it's Kate?" Margo asked him.

He finally looked away from the door. "What does that mean?" He asked her.

"Like I said yesterday, I know love when I see it." She smiled. "Now, hurry up and get cleaned up before dinner." She told him, before walking downstairs.

* * *

About ten minutes later, Jack knocked on the bedroom door. "Kate, you decent?" He called through it.

"Yeah." She called back, and he walked into the room, where she was brushing her now-dry hair.

"Dinners ready when you want to come down." He told her.

"Okay, wait up, I've just gotta clear this up." She said, gesturing to the towel and clothes draped on the back of the chair.

"Don't worry, leave it for now." He told her.

"No, it's okay." She said, and started to fold it up. "So...Jack...earlier on..." She started but Jack cut her off.

"Sorry that I kinda walked into you like that when I uh...walked in on you." He apologized.

"That's all right." She giggled. "It could have been worse."

"Yeah." He agreed, glad that this clearly wasn't as awkward as he thought it might be.

"So...where you checking me out?" She asked him casually.

"What?" He asked, completely caught of guard.

"No harm in it..." She told him even more casually.

"Trust me...if I was checking you out, you'd know it." He covered up, and Kate smirked, because she did know it.

"Oh yeah? So then what were you thinking?" She asked him.

"Well, I sure as hell wasn't thinking that." He told her with a gentle laugh.

"Thinking what?" She asked further, liking to see him blushing and embarrassed...it was kinda cute.

"About...you in a towel...and..." He stopped, stumbling over his words and becoming very interested in the floor.

"And...?" She tempted, coming to stand very close before him.

"And...uh...how much I wanted..." He swallowed. "Uh...dinner..." He said slowly.

Kate smirked. "Well, that wasn't denial." She joked, and he nudged her arm.

"Come on, you, let's have dinner."

* * *

So...flirting...checking each other out...whatever next? hums music maybe a little dancing...


	13. Dance With Me

Chapter Thirteen:

The girls were sat around at break on Thursday, talking about the upcoming weekend, which was now only two days away. Not much had happened since Kate and Tom's confrontation at the start of the week, unless you included the now stronger flirting between Jack and Kate.

"How are you girls up for some shopping on Saturday?" Claire asked.

"With the dance coming up? Do you even need to ask?" Shannon asked stupidly.

Claire laughed. That morning in their form groups, they had been told that there was a formal school dance coming up, and that they would all be required to go with a partner, which had immediately thrown the whole school into a bombardment of choice...who to go with? Only with the girls, it also meant that they had to buy formal dresses...which meant shopping.

"I guess not." Claire said. "Kate?"

"Busy." Kate said with an apologetic smile.

"Doing what?" Shannon asked, shocked that she was turning down shopping before the dance.

"Me and Jack are having a PlayStation stand off." She told them.

"Which can wait, 'cause she's going to go shopping with you." He finished for her.

"Jack..." She started.

"No, you go shopping, its okay." He told her with a smile. "Besides, I've got something I wanna do anyway." He told her.

"I should bloody well hope that you're going to be buying a suit for the dance." Shannon said putting her hands on her hips, but both he and Kate ignored her.

"Would this be the big secret that you were talking to your Mom about yesterday?" Kate asked him.

"That depends on how much you heard." He told her, curious as to what she had heard.

"Something about borrowing money from her for something." She said, and then doubled back. "I wasn't eavesdropping or anything. I just overheard that one bit whilst I was channel surfing." She explained.

Jack smiled and then nodded. "Yeah, it's that big secret." He confirmed.

"I know what it is." Charlie said proudly in a sing-song voice.

"And you're not going to say a word to anyone if you want to keep your genitals." Jack reminded him.

Charlie got a pained look on his face. "I'm not going to say a word to anyone." He repeated obediently.

Kate pouted. "Aw, come on...tell me."

Jack shook his head. "Why ruin the surprise?" He teased her.

Her eyes glittered with curiosity. "Surprise?"

"Aww...how romantic." Claire said admiringly.

"Seriously, Kate, we've gotta go shopping this weekend." Shannon said. "Everyone's going to be getting dresses, and we need to get there fast before all the good ones are taken." She pressed.

Kate looked away. "Actually...I was uh...thinking that I ...umm..."

"Spit it out, Kate." Shannon said.

"I'm not going to the dance." She said bluntly, and everyone at the table looked at her like she was mad. "What?" She asked, when they all stared at her.

"Kate...why not?" Claire asked.

"You've gotta take a date." She shrugged. "And in case you haven't noticed...I don't have one of those anymore."

"That doesn't matter." Sawyer told her. "Never take a sandwich to a buffet, Freckles. There'll be loads of guys there who can't get dates."

"I don't want to have to cosy up to some guy that I don't even like so that I can go to the dance." She said, holding her hands up the others.

"Then go with someone that you do like!" Claire argued.

"Go with Jack!" Hurley piped up, and Shannon grinned at them.

"Jack...you're going to the dance, right?" Shannon asked him.

Jack stopped moving all together. "From the look you're giving me I feel like I might get shot by a sniper rifle on the roof if I say no." He said.

"Excellent!" Shannon said. "You and Kate can go together."

"Aww...how romantic." Claire repeated.

"What?" Jack and Kate asked together.

Kate leaned forward. "Guys...do you not understand the idea of a dance?" Kate asked them.

"Yeah, you get a cute guy and you dance with them." Shannon giggled, looking over at Sayid with a wink.

"Exactly." Kate said, and said in slow, clear words. "I don't dance. I can't dance."

"You don't have to dance." Sawyer said. "I'm going to just make out with her all night."

"And who's 'her'?" Claire asked curiously.

"Miss Spanish Flame herself." He said proudly. "Ana-Lulu."

"The new girl who said that she'd chin you if you called her Ana-Lulu one more time?" Charlie asked.

"What she doesn't hear can't hurt her." Sawyer shrugged.

A bell sounded, and they all headed off to class. As they walked to their lesson, Jack walked slower, and gently grabbed hold of Kate's arm in the thinning corridor as the others walked on without them.

"So...will you?" He asked her.

"Will I what?" She asked back.

"Go to the dance with me?" He asked, blushing slightly, but she saw that hopeful look in his eyes.

"Are you sure you want to go to the dance with a girl who can't dance and looks crap in a dress?" She checked, making sure that he had thought this throught.

"You don't look crap in a dress, you just don't wear them enough so when you do they look different to you but they look amazing to the rest of us. Besides, I know for a fact that you can dance and you just don't like to admit it, and yes, I'm sure that I want to go with you." He told her.

"You've thought this through as well, haven't you?" She laughed.

"Why do you think I convinced the girls to take you shopping this weekend?" He asked her and she laughed again.

"I've gotta say, you've done a lot in the space of two hours." She admired with a nod.

"Is that a yes?" He asked her.

"Are you serious?" She asked him, and he laughed, remembering their conversation from only a few days ago that went the same way, so he repeated what he had said then.

"If you say yes, I'm serious, if you say no, I'm joking."

She smiled, and looked up at him. Maybe going to the dance with Jack wouldn't be that bad. After all, he had asked her, and he made her feel like she was worth something, and he did genuinely want to go with her. "I guess you're being serious then." She nodded, and he smiled, hugging her. "Come on," She said, pulling away after a minute. "We've got a lesson to get to."

* * *

A/N: I've got the next 7 (gasp! seven?) chapters ready to be typed up from a scripted version, which I'll start working on tomorrow morning/afternoon/whenever I get a chance. Coming up we have:  
A shopping trip  
A trick that goes further than planned  
The perfect dress  
Karate time  
Some confessions (but what is it time to come clean about?  
And...in the not to distant future...is that...a...JABY! 


	14. The Look

**Chapter 14:**

"So, Kate, have you decided who you're going with yet?" Shannon asked casually as they made thier way through the racks of clothing in the mall. This was the third shop they had been into. Shannon had found the perfect dress in her stepmother's bridesmaid collection, but 'evil old Sabrina', as Shannon called her, was refusing to let her use it. So now Shannon was trying to find something as close to that dress as possible.

"Who says I'm going with anyone?" Kate answered just as casually. No one except her and Jack knew that they were going together. They had decided not to tell anyone to see how long they could keep the guys plotting for. So far, it had lasted the majority of the week.

"You have to be going with someone, because you told us that you weren't going unless you had a date to go with, and you're here with us looking for a dress. There has to be someone." Shannon pointed out, and Kate laughed, having been caught out.

"I'm going with someone." She revealed.

Claire practically jumped off the ground. "Oh my god! He actually asked you himself?" She squealed.

"Yeah." Kate nodded, seeing as they seemed to know straight away that this 'someone' was Jack.

"What did you say?" Claire asked.

"She said yes, didn't you, Kate?" Shannon said.

Kate smirked and carried on looking through a rack of dresses. "Maybe."

"I bet you jumped at the chance." Shannon smirked back. Kate let out a laugh, after all, because that she hadn't done.

"Maybe." She repeated.

"Yes or no, Kate." Claire demanded.

"Why are you all so interested in me and Jack?" Kate asked airly.

Shannon giggled. "Oh...so there is a you and Jack."

Kate looked over her shoulder and rolled her eyes at them. "You know what I mean."

"Has he asked you out yet?" Claire asked excitedly.

"What?" Kate asked, the question throwing her off so much that she stood up straight and banged her head on the shelf above the railing.

"You know, are you official?" She continued innocently, completely ignoring the fact that Kate was rubbing the place where her head had bumped.

"Claire, we're not even unofficial." Kate told her tiredly.

"Sure you're not." Shannon said sarcastically.

Kate threw them a look. "Look, I'm not dating Jack." She said defiantly.

"Why not?" Claire asked unfairly, like a child who had been told they couldn't have sweets. "You're so perfect for each other!"

Kate turned back to the clothes. "We're not going into this again, are we?" Kate asked wearily.

"You're right, Kate, let's talk about this properly." Shannon decided.

"Thank you, Shan." Kate said with a soft smile, moving on to the next rack of clothes which was situated right near the front of the store.

"What things have happened since this school term to point out that Jack and Kate fancy each other?" Shannon asked.

Kate gave Shannon a confused look. "I'm failing to see where the 'talking about this properly' comes into it."

"One: She's living in his house." Claire started, ignoring Kate's comment completely.

"I'm not living there," Kate corrected, "I'm just staying there for a while."

"Kate, if you would be so kind, where are you sleeping in Jack's house?" Shannon asked curiously.

"In Jack's room." She said simply.

Claire thought this over. "But Jack's only got a double bed in there, and there's no room for a bed on the floor." She got a wild look in her eye and looked at Shannon who caught her thinking. "Unless..."

"Oh my god!" Shannon realised. "You're totally sleeping with him!"

"I am not sleeping with him!" Kate told them quickly.

"But you're sleeping in the same bed as him." Shannon counteracted.

"Okay...I might be sleeping in the same bed as him, but I'm not sleeping with him in the way that you think." She explained.

"I'd give it a few weeks." Shannon brushed off. "Right, what's the second thing?" She asked Claire.

Claire didn't even hesistate answering, and Kate wondered whether they had rehursed it, and upon further thought, realised that they probably did.

"When Kate was arguing with Tom we had to hold Jack down so that he didn't come over and kill Tom."

Kate's head whipped round to face them. "Really?" She asked.

Shannon nodded. "He had that really evil look in his eye. He really hates Tom."

Kate shrugged. "So do I, and Jack's my best mate, that means we're bound by the law to have the same enemies."

"No, you hate him for treating you badly and for letting you down." Claire explained. "Jack hates him because he had you when he wants you so much...and because he treated you so badly and let you down as well."

Kate laughed again. "He doesn't fancy me." She told them again.

"Are you crazy?" Shannon asked. "He's asked you to the dance, hasn't he?"

"Oh, come on, it's not like he's invited me to the prom or anything." She laughed again, only realised her mistake at mentioning the prom when she saw the look on Shannon and Claire's face.

"Oh my god, Shan! We didn't think of that!" Claire realised. "We've got their whole lives planned out but we never mentioned the prom!"

"You've got to go to the prom with him, Kate." Shannon nodded.

"What? No. This is Jack." Kate said. "He's always got girls begging for him. He'll have another girlfriend by the time prom comes around."

"And that lucky girl will be you." Claire smiled.

"Notice how he's had girls begging him to go to the dance with them all week, and he's turned them all down flat." Shannon pointed out.

"He has?" Kate asked, having not known that.

"I think his exact words were 'I'm sorry, I can't and I don't want to, I'm already someone and I don't intend to be with anyone that night other than her'." Claire recited.

"No, I'm sure the word 'special' was in there somewhere..." Shannon said in a daydream tone of voice.

"Guys, stop making things up." Kate said simply.

"We're not. Ask anyone." Claire nodded.

"Ask them what?" Kate said, just to humour Claire. She didn't really intend on asking anyone anything.

"Ask them who Jack fancies."

Kate shook her head with a laugh. "I can garuantee that the answer won't be me."

Shannon rolled her eyes. "Kate, come here." She instructed, and pulled her without warning so that she was facing out of the shop. "Look over there."

She looked where Shannon was pointing straight ahead at the store for suit fittings, where all the guys were visible in the window. Jack was sitting down on a stool beside Sawyer, Sayid and Hurley, whilst Charlie was standing on another stood having his measurements taken. They were all talking to Jack, who was looking like he was getting the third degree like Kate was, but instead of looking awkward, he has a dreamy expression on his face, and that hint of a blush that she could see all the way from the other store.

"He only get's that look on his face when he's got one person in his head." Shannon carried on. "You."

Claire stepped up beside them. "You can tell, because it matches the look you get on your face."

Kate smiled, keeping her eyes on Jack. "I don't get a look."

"You've got one now." Shannon pointed out, and Kate blushed a bit.

"And you're looking at him." Claire added.

At that moment, Jack raised his head and looked over to where the girls were standing. Kate bit her lip a little bit at being caught staring at him, but he smiled when he caught her eye. After just smiling at her for a moment, he nodded his head to the side, signalling to meet him out the front of the shop for a talk, and she nodded as well, before turning to the others without really taking her eyes off of him.

"I'll be back in a minute." She told them with a smile.

"Oooo...a rendevous." Shannon said flirtily.

"You carry on looking around, I'll catch you up." She said, as Jack walked out of the door. "And don't even think about spying on us."


	15. Did They Just?

A/N: If you guys liked the look you're going to LOVE this chapter :P

Chapter Fifteen:

As she approached Jack, he put his hands in his pockets, exhaling deeply as they came to stand infront of each other.

"Hey." He said with a smile.

"Hey, yourself." She smiled back.

"How's the shopping going?" He asked, and she groaned.

"A nightmare." She told him honestly.

"Tell me about it." He agreed. "You getting the third degree as well?"

"Only for the past half hour. You?"

"All day." He nodded, and she laughed.

"At least you've got the easy hand shopping though." She pointed out. "It's easy enough to buy a suit. A dress is a whole different ball game."

Jack laughed this time. "Surely it can't be that hard?"

"That's what I thought. Then after ten minutes in that shop I remembered why I don't wear dresses." She told him.

"How come?"

"Well, there's sizes, shape, styles, colours...God, don't get me started on colours." She complained.

"What's so bad about the colours?" He asked her with an amused smile.

"Well, according to Shannon you need on that goes with your skin tone, eye colour and hair colour." She said, remembering the long lecture she'd got when she suggested an orange dress. "I'd be happy enough getting the first one I found that fit me properly and wasn't pink."

Jack laughed. "But Shannon wouldn't let you?" He realised

"Not a chance. She says I need to have the perfect dress and look perfect because it's you." She revealed.

Jack frowned, still smiling though. "Because it's me?"

Kate shrugged. "You know them and their plans." She reminded him, and he nodded, all too familiar with their plans. "I made the slip up of saying 'what's the hassle, its not like it's for prom', so we've now got prom added to our life."

Jack nodded with a laugh. "Well, in that case, we'd better be winning prom king and queen." He decided. "Besides, at least you didn't tell them about us moving in together."

Kate put a finger over his lips, taking a step closer. "Sshh! Not so loud!" She told him, even though there was no chance of anyone overhearing them in the busy mall. "They're spying on us." She told him.

"They are?" He asked with a laugh.

She nodded. "I can see the guys hiding behind manequins over your shoulder."

"Ah." Jack said, nodding. "That would explain the two pairs of eyes I can see coming out of a rack of clothing over your shoulder."

Kate shook her head laughing. Hadn't her last words to Shannon and Claire been "don't spy on us"?. "For all we know, they've got a listening wire hooked on one of us." She joked.

"What do you say we give them a shock?" Jack suggested, that playful glint that she liked entering his eyes.

"What kind of shock?" She asked him suspiciously.

"Standing like this we can set it up so that to each group it looks like we're doing something that we're not." He told her.

"Why do you encourage them so much?" She asked shaking her head.

He shrugged. "Because it's fun to see what they make of it." He told her.

She put her hands on her hips, pretending to be insulted. "Jack Shepherd...is that the only reason you asked me to the dance?" She asked him painfully, but Jack laughed, knowing that she was only playing around.

"Course not." He smiled at her. "I wanted to ask you."

"I know." She said, and he gave her a strange look wondering how she could have known that. "I just had to hear it all from Shan and Claire." She told him, and he nodded, the playfulness returning.

"Right, come here." He told her.

"What?" She asked him through a laugh.

"Come here...we're going to freak them out." He reminded her.

She took a step closer to him so that she was now standing very close to him...almost too close to him. "How?"

"Just keep smiling, and listen to me." He instructed her. "Now, lean closer..." She did so. "Right, now, don't freak out, I'm going to put my hand on your waist." He did, and she didn't freak out, although his hand was very low down on her waist. "Good...remember that trick we learnt in drama last year? Stage kissing?" He asked.

Kate let out a giggle. "You're kidding, right?" She asked him.

"We're going to do that." He told her.

"We are?" She asked, refusing to believe that he was being serious about it.

"Yeah." He nodded.

"In a public place?" She said, gesturing to the people around them.

"Right here, right now." He grinned.

"You're insane." She said, shaking her head as she realised that it was deadly serious.

"Come on, it'll be fun." He told her, trying to win her over.

"It'll be weird." She corrected.

"Do you know what's happening, right now?" He asked her, but didn't give her a chance to answer. "Shannon and Claire are sticking their heads out of the clothes and gossiping. What are the guys doing?" He asked her.

"From what I can make out, they're taking bets. They've all got money in their hands." She said, trying to look at them without making eye contact and looking directly at them.

Jack nodded. "Thats because they've been waiting for this to happen for ten years." He told her.

"What? Us pretending to kiss?" She asked him with a giggle.

"What they don't know can't hurt them." Jack shrugged slightly. "After three?" He suggested.

"We can't just launch into it!" Kate told him.

"Why not?" He asked her.

"You want it to look real, don't you?" She checked.

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Then trust me." She told him. "Right, what hand are you using?" She asked him.

"My left." He told her. "That hides things from the girls."

"Okay, put it on my cheek now." She told him and he did, just as she puts her hand on his chest, sending butterflies straight to their stomachs.

"What are you doing?" He asked her, if only to try and still the butterflies.

"Making it look real." She told him innocently.

She raised her left hand on his cheek, and they did the false kiss they had been taught in drama, where you use the other persons thumb to make it look like you're kissing them. They heard Shannon and Claire squealing, and they parted after a few seconds. However, before they distanced themselves too much, Jack leant his face forward again, catching her lips one single, daring time and giving her a chaste kiss on the lips.

Their first kiss, even if it was just a tiny peck.

Kate blushed as they pulled back and they opened their eyes again. Jack had actually kissed her, not as much as the others thought he had, but he had still kissed her. Why hadn't it felt weird, like she thought it would?

"What was that about?" She asked, turning a deep shade of red that he had never seen on her face before.

"What?" He asked innocently.

"You know...the kiss..." She said, jogging the memory she knew would stay at the front of their minds for a long time.

Jack just smiled, and kissed her gently on the cheek before stepping back again. "Just making it look real, Katie." He told her, as she had told him a few minutes before.

Kate grinned stupidly, and gestured back to the shop. "I...uh...had better get back to shopping." She said, tripping over her words.

"Me too." He nodded.

"See you later?" Why had she asked that? Of course she was going to see him later.

"Yeah." He nodded, now grinning just as stupidly as she was. They both turned around and took a few steps back towards the different shops when he thought of something and called back to her. "Oh, Kate?" She turned on her heel and faced him. "Red."

"What?" She asked him.

"A red dress. You said you were stuck for a colour." He explained, and she smiled. "You look lovely in red."

She smiled again, "Thanks." She told him quietly, before heading back to the shop.

As she turned and started walking back, Shannon and Claire stared incredulously at each other.

"Oh...my...god." Shannon said slowly.

"Did that really just happen?" Claire asked.

"They just kissed!" Shannon confirmed.

"Oh my god."

"Oh my god."

"Oh my god."

Kate came up to them, and shook her head at them. "You were spying, weren't you?" She realised.

Shannon took Kate by the arm, and lead her back into the shop. "Kate, honey...we have got a LOT to talk about."


	16. First Time Talks and Feelings For Kate

A/N: Hey guys! I'm giving you this chapter now rather than tomorrow as I planned because I'm out tomorrow trodging round the South of England show and I'm not sure how late I'll be back, and after all that walking I'll probably be too knackered to switch the PC on. I might get another chapter up tonight as well, because this one isn't really big regarding action, but you could say that the next one is physical enough for all you jaters :P

* * *

Chapter Sixteen:

"So...how long have you and Jack been behind our backs then?" Shannon asked, now back to shopping. Shannon and Claire were trying dresses on in the changing rooms whilst Kate waited on the chairs outside, having not yet found her dress.

"We haven't been behind your backs." Kate told them honestly, even though her lips were still buzzing from Jack's kiss.

"Oh come on!" Shannon protested. "You can't just kiss like that and say you're not together."

"We're not." Kate repeated.

"A secret relationship...how romantic!" Claire swooned, and Kate rolled her eyes.

"It's not a secret relationship." She explained.

"Not anymore." Shannon pointed out.

"Would you believe me if I told you that was our first kiss?" Kate tried.

"Not for a million dollars." Claire denied.

Kate muttered under her breath. "I guess you're missing out on a million dollars then."

"What was that?" Shannon asked.

"Nothing." Kate lied.

Shannon laughed. "Just accept it. We've caught you out!"

"You wouldn't have done if you hadn't been spying on us." Kate told her, putting a lot of stress on the word 'spying'.

"Thank god we were!" Claire jumped in. "Think what we would have missed if we hadn't."

"Holy crap!" Shannon agreed. "Can we really believe you when you say that you're not sleeping with him?" Shannon asked suspiciously.

"Yes. Yes, you can." Kate said firmly. Now that was going too far with the assumptions.

"It's only a matter of time." Shannon repeated.

Kate rolled her eyes, even though the girls couldn't see it. "Shan, I'm not making plans to lose my virginity to my best friend of ten years." She said. "That's just too weird."

"You didn't lose it to Tom?" Shannon asked.

"Nope." She said honestly.

"But you were together for years!"Claire reminded them.

Kate shrugged, biting the skin around her thumb nail. "It doesn't matter. I just didn't want to."

"I'm betting he did though." Shannon said. "He's a guy, his mind's only on one thing."

"I'll say." Kate muttered, remembering all the times Tom had asked her, and all the times she had told him 'no' because she wasn't ready.

"But you and Jack..." Claire started, letting Shannon pick up on her line of thought.

"Kate, it's the classic rule. Your best friend is the best partner you could possibly have, because they know everything about you, including what you want in bed." Shannon explained.

Kate shugged. "We've never talked about that kind of stuff." She realised.

"Perhaps now's the time to." Shannon piped up. "You're nearly seventeen..."

"I'm not just going to throw myself on someone, Shannon." Kate told her as the girls came out of the changing rooms modelling their dresses.

"Why wait that long?" Shannon asked her with a wink.

"Shan, do we have to talk about this?" Kate asked uncomfortably.

"Kate's right, Shan. Her first time should be special, not forced just because she can." Claire said with a smile.

"Silly girls, that's what I'm trying to tell you." Shannon said, shaking her head.

"It is?" Kate asked incredulously.

"Come on! This is Jack we're talking about!" Shannon pointed out. "He's a hopeless romantic! Any girl who gets it on with him should expect candles, roses and silk sheets for crying out loud. Seriously, Kate, Jack's the perfect man."

She shook her head briefly as she smiled. "Whatever...THAT ONE!" She announced so quickly and excitedly that Shannon and Claire nearly jumped off the ground.

"What?" Claire asked.

"That one! There! Thats the dress!" Kate said determinedly, pointing over Shannon's shoulder to where she could see one on display.

"Woah." Shannon said, amazed. "Trust you to complain the whole way around the shop and then pick the best dress in the world."

Kate grinned. She had found the perfect dress - and it was red - like Jack had told her.

* * *

"So, did you guys have fun at the mall?" Margo asked as they finished up with dinner. Both of them nodded, unable to speak due to the mouthfuls of mashed potato. "Did you get your suit all right, Jack?"

"Yes, Mom." He said.

"Good...you could do with a new one. The one you wore to your father's Christmas work party is too short in the arms." Margo said distractedly.

"I can't help it if I had another growth spurt." He explained.

"Just don't be having one any time soon." Margo told him. "What about you, Kate, did you find a dress?"

Jack turned to Kate as well ."Yeah, Kate, spill the beans. You've been all secretive about it all day."

"With good reason." She told him simply.

"Jack, you've got to understand that when you go to a dance with someone you're not allowed to see their dress before that day." Margo explained to him, like it was something that all men should be programmed to understand.

"Thank you." Kate said, smiling triumphantly at Jack.

"So, did you get one?" Margo asked, almost as excited as Kate seemed to be. Kate nodded. "How does it look?"

"Shannon and Claire said it looks amazing." She shrugged. "I'll have to take their word for it because I'm not really a dress person. Then they started going on about hair and make up and completely lost me. I mean, I haven't really got any make up, and all of Shannon's stuff is too...neon...for me."

Margo shook her head, smiling. "Don't you worry about that, honey, you're more than welcome to use mine."

"Thank you." Kate smiled.

"Tell you what, have you got any plans for tomorrow?" Margo asked curiously.

Kate shook her head. "I don't think so."

"How about we do some experiments?" Margo suggested. "See what suits what?"

Kate smiled. Somehow, it felt like that was something she should have done with her mother, sit down, try things on, test make up and hairstyles. However, it was kind of Margo to offer, and Margo was the closest thing she had to a mother now, and as much as she thought the idea might seem weird, it seemed to feel okay. She nodded. "I'd like that."

"Wonderful." Margo grinned, and turned her head. "Jack?"

"Let me guess...stay downstairs or go out?" Jack assumed.

"Rose and Bernard down the street said that they'd give you twenty dollars if you mowed her lawn for her." Margo told him.

The look of horror on Jack's face was a picture. The old couple down the road were nice enough, but their garden wasn't. "Are you serious? Mom, that's not a lawn, that's a jungle." He hold her.

Margo shook her head. "Nonsense, Jack."

Jack's face still remained the same, determined to find a reason not to. He's rather endure hours of girl talk than venture anywhere off the path in that garden. "Charlie said that he saw a snake in there." He remembered.

"Charlie also says that he's going be world famous one day." Kate said, and Jack gave her a helpless look that pleaded with her not to back his mother up on this. She just smiled at him.

"Exactly. Besides, poor old Bernard put his back out yesterday." Jack sighed, giving in. "Oh my god!" Margo explained catching sight of the clock. "Your karate session starts in ten minutes."

Jack and Kate looked at the clock as well. "I'll go grab my stuff." Kate said, disappearing from the table. Jack already had his stuff ready in the lounge.

"Jack?" Margo asked, when Kate was out of earshot. He startled out of his thoughts as he watched her leave, and snapped back to Margo. "When are you going to stop fighting it?" She asked him.

"Stop fighting what?" He asked casually.

"Your feelings for Kate." Margo said.

Jack rolled his eyes. "And just what are my feelings for Kate?" He asked, knowing exactly where this conversation was headed.

"Only you can decide that, sweetheart." She said as she collected the dinner plates and put them in the sink.

Jack thought for a moment. "She's...she's like my sister." He told Margo, as if that provided an answer for everything.

Margo just raised an eyebrow at her son. "You didn't exactly have brotherly feelings when you saw her getting out of the shower the other day."

Jack blushed furiously. "She's my best friend, Mom...I can't." He said. He had come to accept a long time ago that Kate was his best friend, and anything that could happen between them would mess things up between them. Only the past few days were starting to rattle his determination to keep the boundaries of friendship there.

"Are you trying to convince me, or are you trying to convince yourself?" Margo asked him.

Jack opened his mouth to answer, but Kate came downstairs, saving him from answering, and Margo drove them off towards the sports centre.

A/N: What do you think, another chapter tonight? Saturday upload means tension, and tonight upload means the sooner I can get onto the two chapters I've just finished writing that come after that one - the first one you'll love me for, even if it is cheesy, and the second one you might hate me for, but the ending you might start to like me again.  
Luv Sam xxxx


	17. Fighting Dirty

Here you go my lovelies. Here's another chapter! Just because you're so wonderful. You know what? When I wrote the first chapter of this story, I thought...maybe I'll just show it to EternalConfusion and not do anything with it...and now you all love it! I'm so happy!

* * *

Chapter Seventeen: 

Jack and Kate stood to one side of the hall by their bags, warming up together. They hadn't gone to the session last week because Kate didn't feel up to it, and so with a week missed, Jack was starting to feel the strain of reminder up his muscles as he stretched them out. Kate, however, had immediately gotten back into her usual routine. One thing he did notice, however, was that Kate had become unusually quiet since they left his house, like she was thinking about something deeply. What he didn't know, however, was that she was thinking deeply. She just couldn't get her mind around what she had overheard Jack telling his mother earlier. 'She's like my sister' he had said. 'She's my best friend...I can't'. Hearing those words come from him only made her feel even more like she wanted to, but after Tom had knocked her back, she just couldn't.

"It's weird missing a week of this...makes your muscles feel all stiff." He said, if only to make conversation.

She smirked at him. "Maybe for you." She teased.

He gave her a look back, and laughed. "We're not all as agile as you, Katie." He reminded her. Not all of them were in as good shape as her, and she certainly was in excellent shape, as he had seen when she had come out of the bathroom the other day.

"You should stretch more often then." She teased back.

"No thanks." He said, shaking his head. "The amount of stretching we do here is enough to last me for a week." She smiled and went back to bending over to touch her toes. Jack focused on not staring and did a similar stretch. "Why don't the rest of the guys come anymore?"

It had started out as the whole group of them coming after Kate had announced on her tenth birthday that she wanted to start. At that time, they had all started something together when one person wanted to start it.

"Sawyer gave up for kickboxing...Hurley and Charlie said they got enough exercise pushing thier luck...Sayid...no idea...Shannon insisted that it was bad for her nails, and I think Claire just said that it wasn't for her." Kate said almost struggling to remember why the other six didn't come anymore.

"At least we still come." Jack mused.

True, over the six years, Jack and Kate had gone through every belt grading together, and had celebrated earning thier black belts at the start of the summer. They were their instructor's favourites as they had trained with him for the longest, but when it came down to sparring, they all knew that he would bet Kate against any fighter who challenged.

"I like it." Kate said simply.

"You like the fighting." Jack corrected with a smile.

"I like the discipline." She reasoned.

"You like the pain." Well, it wasn't so much that Kate liked pain, it was more that she enjoyed the satisfying ache in her muscles after a session, that showed she had given it her all.

"I like the challenge."

"You like the feeling it gives you after you've succeeded."

Kate straightened up from her stretched and laughed as he did the same. "Okay, we've talked about the mind reading thing." She reminded him.

"Yeah," He nodded, and then looked around the dojo at the other students. Most of them were between ten and thirteen years old, making them the oldest there. There was the one exception of five-year-old Marcus who had joined and seemed to become Kate's shadow for the whole session, and to no one's surprise, was about six feet away from Kate, warming up himself, copying whatever stretches she was doing. "What we are doing today?" Jack asked, smiling at the boy who didn't meet his eye.

"Dean said we're doing sparring." Kate grinned. Sparring was her favourite.

"Oh joy." Jack said, as they were called over for the group warm up.

After a few rounds of sparring with the younger students, Dean, the instructor, stepped back into the centre of the ring they had set up for a sparring circle.

"Okay, Sophie and Carl, good fight. Well done. Your strength has definately improved, Sophie, you go easy on him next time." He said, praising the eleven-year-old best friends that reminded Dean of a younger Jack and Kate. "Okay, next up, any volunteers?"

He wasn't surprised to see that no hands went up. Even his older students were volunteers.

"I think it's about time we had our older two out to spar." He announced. "Jack, Kate, let's give you a go."

The younger ones all did their usual and clapped on the sparrers as they entered the ring. They all liked seeing Jack and Kate fight, because they were black belts, and always put power and grace into the techniques they had known for so long. Some of the brown belts had the same technique, but they all thought it was cooler because they were black belts, and were the only two black belts at the session.

Kate and Jack stood opposite each other, and stepped into their fighting stances. They caught each others eye. Rule one. Never take your eye off your opponent. "Don't hold back, Shepherd." Kate told him playfully. Jack always seemed to hold back when fighting her because he didn't want to hurt her.

He shook his head. "You're going down this time, Austen."

"You wish." She told him, determined to get the last word in.

They heard the shout of the instructor, which signalled the start, and as usual, it was Kate who made the first move: a sweeping low kick which, had Jack not been prepared for her trademark starting move, would have knocked him off his feet. He jumped high avoiding her foot, and as he landed again, went in for a stomach hit, but finding that his fist was blocked straight away.

Punches flew, open and closed hand, both trying, and at the same time, not trying, to hit each other.

"You're dodging is getting faster." Kate complimented breathlessly at one point during the first round.

"Thanks...the strength of your hit is a good motivation to duck." He told her.

Kate smirked. "You've never taken one of your fists to the lower back." She said, jumping in for a roundhouse kick which he blocked.

"I said I was sorry about that...I missed." He explained for the thousandth time.

"Missed? What were you aiming for, my butt?" She teased, as he leant out and got her in the chest. Jack realised where he had hit her when she winced ever so slightly, hardly noticable, and he took a minute to realise where his hand had just been.

"You turned around, I was aiming for your stomach." He reminded her. "Holy Christ!" He exhaled when one of his blocks failed and he took a side kick in the gut. It didn't hurt him through his chest guard, but it still threw him off balance.

"Your accuracy sucks today, Jack." Kate told him simply.

"You giving me tips?" He asked her, remembering thier conversation over the PlayStation game.

"We both know I'm better." She smirked.

"Oh, really?" He said, begging to differ, and determined not to be beaten by a woman, even if it was Kate. He caught himself for a moment - when did he start thinking of Kate as a woman and not a girl? Perhaps it was when he got a wake up call about her not having the girl's body any more. Oh no, judging from what the shape of the clinging towel had revealed the other day, she definately had a woman's body now.

Throwing himself into the kick, he spun around, but she managed to block it easily, jumping backwards to avoid his foot.

"In that case." Jack continued. "I think we should stop holding back."

They hadn't gotten as many hits in as usual. Usually one of them had won the first match by now.

"I'll stop when you stop." Kate told him.

"I just don't want you to get hurt." He reminded her, as he always did when he sparred with her.

"I've got a high pain threshold." She assured him. "Don't hold back."

"Okay..after three?"

"One."

"Two."

"Three." With that word, they both threw themselves completely into the match, both getting in good hits and blocking as well. After a few minutes of straight fighting that impressed the younger students a lot for stamina, Kate delivered her favourite sweeping kick and brought Jack to the ground.

He cried out as he hit the floor, and Kate panicked, thinking that she had really hurt him. She went closer to him, not going to pin him down like she was supposed to. "Oh my god! Jack...are you okay? I'm sorry!" She asked, leaning over him.

She couldn't remember how it had happened, but somehow, she found herself pinned underneath Jack a few seconds later, heading Dean announcing that Jack had won the first match by pinning his opponent.

"Talk about fighting dirty." Kate complained, but she was still smiling with the adrenaline from the match. Jack smiled at her, proud with having beaten her, but knowig that he was about to lose the next two matches. Just as always, he would win the first, and she would win the second two, mainly because after beating her once, he would feel bad about getting her on the floor. However, today, he felt surprisingly good about pinning her down on the ground...almost too good.

"Accuracy, Kate." He told her playfully.

"Are you ready to continue?" Dean asked them.

Jack stood and held out his hand to Kate, which she took to bring herself up off the ground, even though she could have gotten up herself.

"Absolutely."

* * *

A/N: sighs even Karate can be jatish...mind you, I'd find the jate in a muddy puddle, but thats just me and a dirty mind. I'll update probably tomorrow night if I can. The next chapter is so cheesy it reminds me of the contents of my fridge, and I apologize ahead for Westlife, but even I like this song now because of how I managed to worm it in. Hope you like it my gorgeous reviewers! And, EternalConfusion...I'll be writing the jaby chapter this weekend, or the scripted version...will u check my jate moments for me? 


	18. Queen of My Heart

Sorry it's taken me a few days to get this chapter up...life has been a nightmare. I was at work all day yesterday and when I got home Dad decided that I had to join in the celebrations for the England game...he didn't like it when I pounted out that England didn't even score the goal that won the game. I'm out this afternoon as well for my cousin's karate, so I thought that I'd put this chapter up now for you all :D Thank you my lovelys!

* * *

Chapter Eighteen:

They walked out of the dojo and into the summer air, now dressed in jogging bottoms and t-shirts. It didn't matter that the sun was going down and a slight breeze was setting in, because they welcomed the coolness after the intense training session. Margo had called and said that they needed to walk home because she was out visiting her sister for the evening, which gave them the house to themselves.

"I've gotta hand it to you, Kate, you put up a fair fight tonight." Jack told her, even though she put up a fair fight every time and always won. Even tonight she had come down and won, and he had to will everything in his mind not to focus on the fact that she was pinning him to the floor.

She shrugged. "Let's just say that I had a lot of agression to get out." She told him. In all honesty, after a day shopping with girls for dresses, she needed to do something that made her feel a little bit more like herself.

"And who better to vent on than your best mate?" Jack finished for her.

"Exactly my thinking." She agreed with him, and then trailed off on another train of thought. "Although, not everyone thinks that we're just friends anymore, Jack." She pointed out.

"Hmm...I wonder why." He said innocently.

"Yes, I wonder." She said sarcastically, but smiling all the same. "Could it have been the fact that you kissed me in the middle of the mall?"

"We both fake kissed each other." He pointed out, but she shook her head.

"Oh no, Shepherd, I'm not taking any of the credit for this one." She told him. "I wasn't the one who turned it into a real kiss." She said, watching the blush creep up onto his cheeks.

"If I had turned it into a real kiss I would have gotten rid of the thumbs." He said, trying to justify it better than he had done earlier.

"If I remember correctly, you just waited until the thumbs had been moved." She pointed out.

"And if I remember correctly, you enjoyed it." He said proudly.

She eyed him suspiciously. Had she been that transparent? "What makes you think that?" She asked him curiously.

"Maybe it was that little embarrassed smile you had straight afterwards." Jack suggested.

"Had to make it look real." She explained, using the same excuse as he had used for the whole kiss.

"And you were biting your lip just a little bit when you turned around, something that you always do when you're excited or nervous." He remembered.

"Excited?" She laughed. "I think you're flattering yourself too much there." She told him.

"I think that you're missing the point." He grinned.

"And what is the point that I'm missing?" She asked.

"That it doesn't matter what happend, what matters is that you enjoyed it."

Kate shook her head, laughing silently as her own cheeks started to burn, and glad that the sunset reflecting off her cheeks wouldn't show it. "And because of that, when we turn up at school on Monday, everyone is going to think that we're a couple."

Jack shrugged. "They practically think we are anyway." He pointed out.

Kate sighed. "I must say, Jack, you could do better."

He frowned, looking at her as they started walking through the park. "What's that supposed to mean?" He asked her.

"I mean that I know for a fact that you've got the head cheerleader, head of the chess club, and head of the student coucil out to grab you up now that you're single." She told him.

He just shook his head with a smile. "I don't want the head of anything." He told her. "Not when I've got the Queen."

She turned to him with a look of mock seriousness and astoundment. "Royalty? My, my, you are aiming high." She told him, clearing teasing him to get out of what was clearly going to become an awkward conversation.

"Hey," He told her. "The only Queen I'm interested in is the brilliant band, and the Queen of my Heart." He told her, turning to face her as they stopped walking. "And she's right here with me already." He told her quietly as his eyes boared into hers.

She cocked her head to one side. "Hmm...lyrics from a Westlife song...I've gotta say, Jack, that's kind of worrying." She said as they continued walking again.

"It's worrying that it's the CD in your walkman right now." He countered, and she turned her head slightly, pushing him ever so gently.

"Hey!" She said unfairly. She secretly liked that CD...and what was he doing with her walkman?

"Go on." He said, and she looked at him in confusion. "Tell me the lyrics." He told her.

"Jack-" She said, shaking her head.

"I know that you know them." He told her. "No excuses, come on."

She thought for a moment. "What? All of them?"

He nodded, and she started speaking, but he cut her off. "No, sing them." He told her.

"What?"

"When we had karaoke at the end of summer, you didn't sing on your own. So I want you to sing now." He said.

"Why?" She asked him.

"Because you have a good voice." He complimented.

She blushed again. "I'm not singing that song." She told him through an awkward smile.

"Why not?"

"Because I only sing special songs." She shrugged.

"Like our songs?" He asked, and she nodded before she could stop herself. "Then, how about, you sing it, and we'll make it our song?" He reasoned.

"Our song?" She checked.

"Yeah."

She looked at him for a moment and then shook her head. "How do you twist my arm into these things?" She muttered under her breath.

"It's a gift." He shrugged with a smile.

She took a deep breath, composing herself and remembering the first lines of the song, knowing that the rest would come naturally after she got into the flow of things.

"_So here we stand, in our secret place  
With the sound of the crowd, so far away  
And you take my hand, and it feels like home  
And we both understand, this is where we belong_."

As she said 'and you take my hand' Jack's hand slipped against her open palm and lead her onto the grass and over to a tree at the top of the hill as she carried on singing.

"_So how do I say, do I say goodbye?  
We both have our dreams, we both want to fly  
So lets take tonight, to carry us through, the lonely times_."

They reached the tree, and Jack sat down, pulling her down with him. As she sat down, she found herself sitting almost in his lap, with his arm around her whilst she lent on his shoulder.

"_I'll always look back, as I walk away,  
This memory will last for eternity  
And all of our tears, will be lost in the rain  
As I find my way back to your arms again  
And until that day, you know you are, the Queen of my Heart._

_So let's take tonight, and never let go  
While dancing we'll kiss, like there's no tomorrow  
As the stars sparkle down, like a diamond ring  
I'll treasure this moment, till we meet again_

_But no matter how far, or where you may be  
I just close my eyes, and you're in my dreams  
And there you will be until we meet_

_I'll always look back as I walk away  
This memory will last for eternity  
And all of our tears, will be lost in the rain  
As I find my way back to your arms again  
And until that day, you know you are, the Queen of my Heart_"

They were silent for a moment, and then Jack spoke up. "See, that wasn't so hard, was it?" He told her.

She nudged him in the ribs gently. "Stop it, you." She told him, but she didn't go to move his arm from around her, and she certainly didn't move further away from him.

"I think that should definately be our song." Jack continued, nodding, sure of himself.

"Really?" She asked, thinking over the words. Was it right to call a song like that their song?

"Well...yeah." He told her. "It's kinda true to us, 'cause you'll always be the Queen of my Heart, and if I ever walked away, which I wouldn't, I'd always look back." He revealed.

"Hmm..." Kate started with a gentle smile. "Strange." She commeted.

"What's strange?"

"Well, look at us." She said, gesturing with her hands. "It's kinda odd, don't you think? I mean, we're sitting in the middle of the park, under a tree, watching the stars come out through a sunset, you've got your arm around me, I've got my head on your shoulder, we're both in desperate need of a shower, and somehow, it doesn't really feel like something that friends should be doing, but at the same time, it feels really right." She confessed.

He nodded. "I know what you mean." He said quietly. "Maybe all of this is meant to tell us something." He suggested.

"All of what?" She asked.

"Everything." He told her. "We've got a truckload of people thinking that we're already together. We've got Claire and Shannon planning our dog's name, not to mention kids names and what colour our house will be. We both ended our relationships recently, and for similar reasons...and everything we do feels so right." He said, stopping there even though he could think of a thousand more reasons. "Maybe it's telling us something."

"What is it telling you?" She asked him.

"It's telling me..." Should he say it? Should he just tell her seeing that the conversation was steering that way anyway? Go for it, Jack. Just do it. "It's telling me, that I sure as hell should have kissed you for real in the mall." He revealed.

"But you did...kinda." Kate reminded him.

Jack shook his head with a grown. "Not that pathetic last minute one." He told her. "The real one that everyone thought we had. The one that to them looked passionate and real and everthing I would have wanted our first kiss to be like."

She smiled softly. "I see you've put a lot of thought into this, Jack." She said lightly.

"To be honest, Kate, I haven't been able to stop thinking about it."

"You haven't?" She asked him with a gentle frown.

"Kate, for the past few months, the only girl - the only person - that's been in my head, is you." He revealed.

"But...Sarah..."

"She knew, Kate." He told her before she could finish asking why he was thinking about her whilst he was with Sarah. "She knew, and I didn't even have to tell her."

"What did she know?" Kate asked.

He couldn't tell her that much. Not yet. "I made a mistake with her, Kate. A big one." He started to explain.

"We all make mistakes, Jack." She assured him. "What happened?" He didn't answer for a while. "It's okay, you can tell me." She told him comfortingly.

"She told me that she loved me." He remembered. "And I went to answer her, but it wasn't her name that came out." He focused on one star that was appearing brigher now, anything to stop himself meeting Kate's eyes as she turned her head to look at him.

"You called your girlfriend of two years by someone else's name? Jack, that's kind of a hard mistake to make." She told him.

He shook his head. "Not when that someone else was you, Katie." He told her, finally looking back to her.

"Me?" She asked, her face unreadable.

"Yeah, you." He told her.

"Jack...I don't understand what you're saying." She said softly.

"Neither do I to be honest." He shrugged. "I can't put it into words. I can show you though."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

Jack inched closer, and after what felt like forever, their lips met.

* * *

OMG! I bet you hate me for leaving it there. I did start to write the gushy kiss stuff, but I decided to leave it here and have that in the next chapter. So what do you think? They've kissed...finally. EternalConfusion, glad you're liking the jaby chapter so far. It's so fun to write. So, I've got a feeling that the next update might be coming tonight. However, on Tuesday, I'm back at college, so I'm going to have a harder time updating (good thing I'm several chapters ahead), and tomorrow morning I will have an exam...so I should get a lot more written in the afternoon. Good thing is - back at college, and most likely no work to do! Yay! Writing time!


	19. Really Really

A/N: Glad you all liked the last chapter! Seeing as I got such a good response (althought I have to admit I wasn't expecting a bad response from a jate kiss), I decided to post the other chapter up :D

* * *

Chapter Nineteen:

Slowly at first, they brushed their lips against each other, and then he claimed them fully, placing his lips full against them. Both of them had butterflies in their stomachs, as they realised that they were kissing each other after all this time. After a few gentle kisses, he sought entry into her mouth, and her lips parted, allowing his tongue to probe at her own. At this point, Jack wondered whether this was really happening or not, but the sensation of Kate responding to the kiss was enough to assure him that he was doing the right thing.

Her hands travelled to the back of his neck, one of them tangling the soft hair that rested there. He kept one hand on her waist, holding her to him, and brought his other hand up into her hair, finally running it through the chestnut locks like he had wanted to for as long as he could remember, yet he couldn't focus on it, all he could focus on was that the lips against his were Kate's. Kate let out a whimper against his lips, which in turn let Jack's moan escape, sending vibrations through her mouth. She was kissing her best friend, why didn't it feel weird? _It doesn't feel weird because you want this..._God, she wanted it. She was enjoying this kiss more than any kiss she had ever experienced.

With one of Jack'shands now on the small of her back, and the other now tracing small circles at the point where her neck and shoulder met, they allowed themselves to release the other from the kiss. Slowly, wanting to savour it as much as possible. Neither wanted it to end, but both of them needed to breathe. Jack opened his eyes before Kate, and he waited to meet hers when she finally did. There was something in her eyes...not a regret, buta nagging thought that he could tell she didn't want to be there, as her lips were still curved in a gentle smile.

"I'm sorry, Kate." He muttered almost instantly, without being able to stop himself._What did you say that for? Now she's going to think that you didn't want to kiss her!_

"For what?" She asked breathlessly, not moving an inch away from him.

"For all of this." The kiss, the pressure that came with it, the change this will mean...would anything be the same after such a kiss?

She shook her head. "No, don't be sorry. I don't want you to be sorry." How could he be sorry when he had kissed her with such emotion, such feeling?

"I can't help it." He shrugged, and she looked at him with eyes that begged 'why?'. He felt a little better known that she didn't want him to be sorry, however this didn't stop the feeling. "Because as much as I loved it...something tells me that you didn't want it all that much." He said, seeing the hesitation that fell into her eyes as she looked down.

"It's not that." She said quietly.

"Then what is it, Kate?" He asked her softly.

"Believe me, Jack, it's nothing against you." She told him, seeing his eyes fall a little. "I know that it seems like famous last words, but it's not. If there was anyone I wanted to be with right now, it would be you. It's just..." She trailed off, and he realised what she was saying.

"Tom." He nodded.

"Not in the way that you think." She said quickly. "I don't regret breaking up with him - not for one second. My heart didn't belong to him...maybe because it belongs to you."

Jack looked back up at her, hope returning to his eyes. "Really?"

"I think, in a way, it always has." She nodded. "It's just that, Tom not trusting me and all, it's got me a bit rattled, and I don't know why."

"I trust you." He assured her, taking one of her hands in his.

"I know you do. That's why I can't understand why it hurt's so much to know that he didn't." She revealed. Tom didn't matter anymore, so she was trying to understand why him not trusting her still had her on edge. It was like being cursed.

Jack nodded, understanding what she meant. "Katie, if there's anything I can do, I'll do it." He told her.

She bit her lip, just like she always did when she was nervous. "You're probably going to hate it, but...I need a bit of time." She was expecting him to intervene at that point, but he didn't. "I was with Tom for a long time, and it's hard enough accepting that it's not there anymore. I can't afford to get confused and run the risk of messing things up by jumping straight back in the saddle - especially when it'll be messing things up with you." She explained.

Jack nodded, and then gently shook his head. "Kate, I don't think anything could mess up between us."

She shook her head. "You say that now, but it can. Nothing's perfect, Jack."

"You are." He told her straight away. "You're perfect." She looked at him for a while in a way that suggested he was the first boy to ever tell her that and mean it. "For as long as I can remember, my idea of a perfect woman hasn't just been like you, she's been you."

Kate bit her lip again and looked down, the blush trailing back into her cheeks, but being so close to him meant that he saw it for sure this time. "That's nice, Jack." She told him bashfully.

"Look, Kate." He started, becoming serious again. "I don't hate the fact that you need time."

"You don't?"

"Of course not." He told her. "I couldn't standing knowing that we were together when you weren't sure about it. It'd be like forcing you, and I'm not going to force you into anything, especially a relationship that you're not ready to be in." She gave him a soft smile of appreciation. "If I have you, I want to hold you in my arms knowing that you want to be with me. I want to kiss you and hope that I'm taking your breath away, and look in your eyes without seeing doubt in them. I want you to do this because you want to, Kate, not because I want it, because you want it."

"I do want it, Jack." She told him, and he smiled back. "I want it more than I can tell you, but I've just got to tell myself first." She admitted.

"Well, when you do, whenever it is, make sure that you remember that I'll be waiting for you." He assured her.

"Even if it's another ten years?" She tested.

"Kate, I told you the other that that I'm going to wait until I'm thirty just for an excuse." He reminded her, pushing the thought back into her mind of the 'if you're not married by thirty' converstion.

"So the deals off then, huh?"

He shook his head. "No, Kate, the deals not off." He told her. "It just...might be happening a little sooner, that's all. Will you still come move in with me, even if you haven't made your decision yet?" He asked her.

She nodded, knowing that in a years time, she would have. "Yeah."

He nodded back, and they both let out a laugh as they hugged each other. "We should probably be getting back." He realised, noting how dark the sky was getting now.

"We should." Kate agreed. "I wish we didn't have to, it's nice here, like this." She said, notioning to sitting with his arm around her, feeling warm in his arms.

"It can still be like this." He reminded her. "Just because you haven't made you're decision yet, it doesn't mean that I'm going to treat you any differently than I do now. I'll just hold back from kissing you again." He said, and she let out a laugh. "And until that day you know you are, the Queen of my Heart." He told her, using the song lyric from thier new song.

She shook her head, and they stood up together. "Come on, let's go home." She said. "We need showers, and I'm exhausted."

"Kate?" He asked, as he stood.

"Yeah?"

"Just so you know...I really like you." He told her. "Really, really like you."

She smiled. "You do?"

"More than that...more than I can explain."

She smiled. "I like you too." She told him.

"Really, really?"

"Really, really."

* * *

awww...jate, but not quite jate...do you hate me for it? I hope not...because next chapter means jaby! I'm typing it up tonight so hopefully I can post it tomorrow afternoon/evening. 


	20. Baby Blues

Monday morning came around quickly. Jack and Kate spent their Sunday apart, Jack mowing Rose and Bernard's lawn for twenty dollars, as promised, and Kate upstairs with Margo experimenting for the dance. Margo had been as excited as Shannon had been with the dress, and Jack took this opportunity of Kate being distracted to pick up her present from town. He had paid for it at the mall the previous day, but was going to pick it up before the dance, only now had the perfect opportunity.

Other than that afternoon, they had spent the rest of the weekend playing games and getting their homework done. Surprisingly, their kiss on Saturday night in the park hadn't changed anything between them. If anything, things had only gotten better, because now they were completely honest about everything. They both knew how the other felt, and were completely at ease with it.

Because of this, Kate had no restrictions in her mind when she entered their science lesson on before lunchtime with Shannon and Claire. They had just finished their gym session. This was the first year that the girls and boys had seperate gym classes, and they hated it. Last year had always been fun, because whenever it came to picking teams, they always had one ready made. Now, the boys were off doing football and soccar, and the girls were left with trampolining, netball, and dance.

"School dance, next Friday! I can't wait!" Shannon squealed for the fiftieth time that morning as they made their way to their seats.

Kate rolled her eyes. "Seriously, Shan, you've been talking about that for the past three lessons." She pointed out.

"But is so exciting!" She argued, doing everything except jumping up and down.

Claire nudged Kate as Shannon walked past them. "As much as I'm excited, I'm not that excited." Kate nodded in agreement.

"I don't understand what all the big fuss is about." Kate added as she sat down beside Jack, with Claire on her other side as usual.

"Hey." Jack said with a smile.

"Hey...Jack, please tell Shannon that it's just a dance." She pleaded.

He looked at Shannon. "It's just a dance." He shrugged.

"How can you say that?" Shannon said desperately. "It's going to be brilliant! Everyone's got a date this time!"

"Brilliant..." Kate said sarcastically.

"There's me and Sayid, Charlie and Claire, Hurley asked Libby...Sawyer's going with the new girl."

"Ana-Lucia?" Kate said with a laugh, looking in the direction of the girl who actually looked like she'd rather kill Sawyer than sit next to him.

"Yeah. And you two are going together as well! None of us are going to be on our own!" Shannon said brightly.

Jack laughed and shook his head. "Whatever you say, Shannon."

At that moment, Dr Arzt saved them from any more dance talk by entering the room carrying a very large box. They all looked at the box with keen interest.

"Good afternoon, students. Hope you're all raring to go." He said, just as brightly as Shannon had been minutes before.

"What's in the box?" Sawyer asked, when a silence from the rest of the class told them that they were definately not raring to go.

"That, James, is your science project." The entire class erupted into groans. Arzt science projects were like Dante's seventh circle of hell. "This is a different project." He explained when they groaned. "Believe me, I'd rather be doing something else, but the Board of Education believe that this is an essential practicality."

"What does that mean?" Shannon asked, having lost her enthusiasm rather quickly.

"It means that this project is something that the school boards are using to open your eyes and help you learn skills that you will no doubt need later in life." Arzt explained.

"What have we got to do?" Claire asked.

Arzt reached into the box, and pulled out a plastic doll, with extreme resembalence to a real, live baby. They all stared at it in confusion. What were they meant to do with that?

"A doll?" Sawyer asked wildly, looking horrified and curious at the same time, like he didn't know whether to run for the hills or burst out laughing.

Arzt turned the doll over and pressed a switch. The doll started crying with the exact same sound as a real baby crying. Sawyer put his hands over his ears Arzt brought the doll closer to him.

"Shut it up!" Sawyer demanded.

Arzt placed the doll on the desk infront of Sawyer. "That's your job, James."

Sawyer looked at him as if he had suggested that Sawyer jump off of Niagra Falls in an inflatable dinghy. "What?"

Arzt turned back to the class. "Your assignment over the next five days is to become this baby's parents." He explained to the rows of gobsmacked students. "For this project you will be working in pairs."

"You want me to look after a dolly?" Sawyer asked. "And pretend that it's real?"

"These aren't 'dollies', they're high-tech dolls, designed to give the impression of parenthood to teenagers. These babies will cry, need feeding and changing. They will also need cleaning and attention. And luckily for me, they also come with instructions, so the first act of responsibility is to read the instructions and work out a rota for splitting the care of the baby, evenly, might I add."

Sawyer continued to look at the doll as if it might suddenly come to life and kill him. "Can I chose to fail this project?" He asked.

"Unfortunately for you, with your grades, you can't afford to, James."

Sawyer slumped on the table in frustration, pushing the doll to one side and ignoring it.

"Now, I'm going to give you your groups, and then I want you to sit in your pairs. Right, Pace and Littleton..." Charlie and Claire moved closer together.

"Rutherford and Jarrah." Shannon moved forward a row to sit beside Sayid.

"Ford and Cortez." Ana-Lucia looked at Sawyer, who didn't raise his head from the desk.

"Brennon and Allen." Kate looked up as Tom's name was called, and noticed him sitting closely with a girl called Lucy. She looked a little sad, and felt Jack's hand touch her own under the desk. She quickly got over her sadness and gave him a smile back.

"Reyes and Harrison." Hurley blushed as he shuffed along the row to sit with Libby.

"Collins and Fisher." Two more students moved around the room.

"Shepherd and Austen."

"What?" Jack and Kate both exclaimed at the same time.

Arzt looked up from the list he was reading out. "I said Shepherd and Austen, you two are partners for this project." Arzt went back to the list, and Jack shrugged at Kate.

"Could be worse..." He whispered. "You could be with Tom."

Kate smirked and then rested her head on her hand. "I think I'd rather take the fail." She joked back.

Jack let out a quiet laugh. "As much as you could afford to, I don't think you'd want to sacrifice your lovely A's." He reminded her.

Kate shrugged. "Wouldn't make a difference. I'm going to fail this project anyway." She told him.

"Yeah right." He disagreed. "Woah..." He suddenly exclaimed.

"What?" She asked.

"Mom's going to love this."

They both laughed, and then fell back into their usual habit of doodling notes to each other on the back pages of thier exercise books, playing hangman, and noughts and crosses.

* * *

At lunch, the gang were sat around their usual table with their new 'children'. Claire and Shannon were fussing over the dolls like they had probably done with dolls when they were three years old, whilst Sayid and Charlie read through the instructions. Hurley and Libby just sat holding theres. Sawyer was sitting on the end of the group on his own, Ana-Lucia nowhere in sight, but the doll in his arms. Kate had her doll lying on the table infront of her whilst she stared at it strangely.

"Oh my God!" Claire squealed. "This is going to be so much fun!"

"I know!" Shannon agreed "We'll get to dress them up and everything!"

Somehow, Kate wished that they would go back to talking about the school dance. Charlie tilted his head to the side. "Should we leave the new mother's group to it?" He asked the rest of the guys at the table.

"Just count me out of it." Kate piped up, not taking her eyes off the doll.

Hurley looked curiously at her. "Dude, have you got that post-natal depression thing?" He asked her.

Jack laughed a little and turned to Hurley. "You can't have that unless you've actually given birth." He explained.

"Oh..." Hurley realised. "...and this baby just came out of a box."

"Yeah..." Jack nodded.

"Can't we put it back in the box?" Kate asked pleadingly.

"I think you're missing out on the fun part here, Kate." Shannon told her.

"I think you're missing out on the hard part of this, Shannon." Kate said, in exactly the same tone as she had used.

"It's just a baby...all you've gotta do is look after it." Shannon explained.

Kate returned her gaze to the baby doll. "That's where I'm lacking."

Jack smiled at her. "Just relax, Kate, this isn't as hard as it looks."

"That's easy for you to say!" She told him. "You've got, like, a million baby cousins who all worship you. I haven't even changed a nappy before."

"First of all, it's not a million, it's six." He pointed out. "And secondly, you've just got to be able to make them happy.

Kate gave him a look. "That's what I'm not going to be able to do." She said, shaking her head.

"Of course you are." He said optimistically. "Besides, you're not doing the project on you're own. It's my project too." He told her, slipping his hand under the table and grasping her own, unseen to the others. Kate smiled at this gesture, squeezing his hand back, and the others noticed her smile.

"Aww...Mommy's got some reassurance from Daddy." Charlie teased.

Kate kept her sweet smile and turned to Charlie. "Mommy's about to pound Uncle Charlie's head in." She said, in the mocking tone of voice he had just used.

"Looks like Mommy's in need of some anger management." Sawyer piped up.

"Speaking of Mommy's...where's Ana-Lucia?" Jack asked him.

"Her idea of a rota was her take ten minutes and I take the rest of the day." Sawyer explained. "As long as it doesn't start crying or pooping I'm good."

"Oh god." Kate said, panicky. "It's going to start crying."

"Kate, relax." Jack reminded her, but before she could ask him how she was going to relax around a screaming doll, Charlie started reading out of the instruction manual.

"It says here that if it starts crying you have to rock it like you would a real baby." He recited. "We're also supposed to name them because there's a sensor that will recognise repeated phrases like a name in the same way that a baby would learn it's name."

Claire squealed again, turning to Shannon. "Oh my god! We haven't checked if they're boys or girls!" She realised.

The two girls suddenly looked at the dolls diapers and peeked down them. "What have you got?" Shannon asked.

"Boy." Claire said.

"Same here." Shannon nodded. "Kate?"

Kate looked at the doll wearily, and peeked into the diaper like they had done. "A girl." She told them.

"Trust Kate to get the only girl." Claire complained.

"Guys, it's not a real baby." Kate pointed out. "It's a doll with a little less plastic than your's has got."

Shannon finally put her finger on why Kate was acting the way she was. "You're scared!" She realised, jabbing an accusing finger across the table at her.

"Am not!" Kate protested.

"Yes, you are." Shannon nodded. "You're pretending that you don't care because then if you fail you can pretend that it never mattered to begin with."

Kate shook her head. "I don't know what you're talking about." She said, brushing them off.

"Guys, guys...listen to this." Charlie said, reading from the manual again. "It says here that these dolls generate a percentage when ready by a meter which demonstrates the level of care given to the dolls."

"So that's how they're assessing us." Jack said.

Shannon rounded on Kate again. "I'll make you a deal." She proposed. "If your doll comes back with a higher percentage than the rest of ours, we'll drop the act of trying to get you and Jack together." Shannon offered.

"You will?" Kate asked suspiciously.

"We will?" Claire asked increduloudly, clearly worried about losing her favourite pasttime.

"We will." Shannon said firmly.

Kate thought this over for a moment, and then nodded, shaking Shannon's hand. "You've got yourself a deal."

The bell rang for the end of lunch, and Claire pulled Shannon aside as the others went off to lessons.

"What if they win?" She asked.

"We win either way." Shannon told her simply. "Either our doll will beat their's, or they'll be together by the end of the week. All we've gotta do is make sure that one of ours beats hers just in case."


	21. Feeling Stupid

Chapter 21:

"I feel so stupid." Kate muttered under her breath, so quiet that Jack could only just hear it. There was an annoyance in her voice that he had to admit was rather cute.

"Why?" He asked, surpressing the urge to laugh softly, but knew that she might feel the need to push him under a car if he did so.

"Why?" She asked incredulously. "Because I'm carrying a goddamn doll down the street like a five year old." She explained.

Jack looked at her. "Why does that make you feel stupid? The rest of the people down the street are carrying them too."

True to his word, most of the people walking down the street were carrying the same plastic dolls. It seemed that more than just their science class were given the experiement. They were surrounded by people - the girls looking excited, and the boys looking somewhat depressed...quite the opposite of what Jack and Kate were looking like.

"But all these girls probably played with their dolls when they were kids." Kate reminded him. "I never did that."

Kate was more of a tomboy growing up, and was too busy climbing trees and rolling around in the mud with the rest of the boys rather than playing with her dolls with Shannon and Claire.

"It's not a doll, Kate, it's our baby for the week." He corrected her.

She looked at him out of the corner of her eye with a raised eyebrow. "You're starting to sound like Charlie." She told him.

"C'mon, relax, it's going to be fun." He assured her, putting his arm around her shoulder as they walked. Surprisingly she didn't pull away from him.

"Please explain to me how you worked that one out?"

"Think about it, Kate..." He started. "...This doll is _our _baby for the week. Mine and yours."

"I thought you said that people like me shouldn't be allowed to breed." She said, repeating her words from last week, but at the same time, having to smile a little at the excitement in Jack's eyes.

"I told you the other day that if it had my genetics, it would balance it out." Jack reminded.

"This doesn't have our genetics, Jack..." She said, nodding down at the doll. "It's plastic."

"Well, we have to pretend that it's a real baby." He said.

Kate sighed heavily. "Can't we put it up for adoption?"

They stopped walking, and Jack gave her a serious look, which made Kate hang her head a little. "Kate, I know for a fact that you would never put your baby up for adoption." He told her surely.

There was a long silence in which Kate couldn't answer. He was right - he always was. She never would, because she heard Wayne talking one night to her mother, saying how he wished that Diane had put Kate up for adoption at birth. She was only seven when she heard that. She had gone around to Jack's for dinner the next day, and casually asked Jack's mother over dinner what 'adoption' meant. Margo had been shocked. The conversation she overheard that in was the same one where she learned that Wayne was her real dad, not Sam, who she had believed to be.

"I know..." She muttered. "I just...feel stupid, 'cause it's not real, you know." She admitted.

Jack smiled at her, and shook his head. "That doesn't matter. You've got the imagination of ten kids, Kate, you can do this."

She grinned back at him, and bit her lip for a moment. "Do you want to hold her for a while?" She asked him.

Jack gave her that happy smile, one that she couldn't help but reply to. "So, she's a 'her' now and not an 'it' anymore." He teased playfully.

She shrugged. "You said to pretend that it's real." She muttered as an excuse.

Jack took the baby doll, and held it in his arms like he would hold a real baby. The thing that disheartened him a little was that he no longer had his arm around Kate's shoulders, however, she solved this problem by walking so close beside him that their upper arms were brushed against each other with every step.

"So..." He said, after a few minutes in silence. "That was quite a deal you made with Shannon earlier."

Kate laughed. "I had to do something - she wouldn't drop it!" She explained

"She was right though." Jack said simply, as he was probably the only person she would admit that to.

"Yeah, but I couldn't tell her that." She pointed it out. "She's never let me live it down."

Jack laughed, shaking his head. "I can't believe that she promised to drop everything if we do better than them."

"They must really be sure that we're going to do worse." She agreed.

"Well, if you were so sure that you're going to fail this, why did you make the bet?" He asked her.

"Because...nevermind." She said, changing her mind and shaking her head.

"No, come on, I'm curious." He tempted, nudging her shoulder as they walked.

She shook her head again. "I just want them to stop trying to force us together." She said to him. "I mean, I want it to happen on it's own. It's going to be our relationship, so I don't see why it should start out because of other people interfering."

That was probably the most sense she'd made all day.

"'going to be'?" He quoted with a grin.

She nodded. "Yeah."

"So, it's going to happen?" He asked, trying not to jump up and down with excitement.

She gave him a smile, looking at him while they walked. "Jack, I told you the other night, I want it to happen. I just need a while to sort my head out, and when that's done, I'm all yours." She tld him.

"All mine...woah..." He said quietly.

"What?"

"After all these years, it feels really weird to think that I can call you mine." He revealed.

She nudged his shoulder again, both of them grinning like idiots. "I'm already yours, Jack."

* * *

The sound of a baby crying split the air, and Kate paced Jack's bedroom floor insanely rocking the doll. Jack heard the baby crying from the bathroom, and when he came back, saw Kate looking stressed. He had taken a shower while the baby was asleep and Kate insisted that she would be fine for a while, but now it seemed quite different.

She looked up when she saw him enter and gave him a tired glance. "Jaaaack! Help...she won't stop crying!" She begged. "I've fed her, changed her, burped her, everything! She just won't stop!"

He crossed the room, and she passed the doll over to him. "There has to be something that we haven't checked." He thought.

Kate shook her head, sitting down on the bed in surrender. "We've done everything, Jack...we went through the manual three times and did everything before you showered!" She told him. "What do we do?"

Jack thought for a moment, holding the screaming doll. He remembered holding his cousin, Amanda, like this once, and his mother had told him to do something that had stopped her crying. Maybe it would work on the doll.

"Maybe, we should...just...hold her?" He suggested.

Kate looked at him as if he had suggested that they put the doll in a pasta strainer. "What?"

"These dolls react to things in the same way that a real baby would, right?" He remembered.

Kate nodded. "Yeah." She was still giving him that insane look.

"Well, when we were looking after my cousin, Amanda, Mom taught me this trick." He said, going over to the bed beside Kate, where one of the blankets from their baby pack was, and lay it out on the bed, before putting the doll down on it. "You're meant to swaddle them."

"What?" Kate asked again.

"You wrap the blanket really tight around them, but not tight enough to hurt them, because they like the security." Jack explained, swaddling the baby as he explained it, and then handed the doll back to Kate. After a few seconds, the baby stopped crying.

"Wow...it worked!" She said, looking up at Jack. "You're a genius." He was still standing up beside her, looking down at her admirably. "What?" She asked.

"Nothing." He said, crossing the room and putting the rest of the baby pack beside the bed.

"You were staring." She said, not dropping the subject.

Jack straightened up, and looked at her again. "I was just...y'know, as much as you hate this idea, you actually look really natural like that." He explained, giving her the same smile again.

"Sitting on your bed holding plastic against my chest?" She questioned.

"No, holding a baby in your arms." He corrected quietly, and then dropped his voice to mutter, even though Kate still heard him. "Our baby..."

She shook her head slowly. "Maybe holding them, but everything else I'm useless with." She realised.

Jack smiled sadly at her, and then went and sat right next to her. "Everyone's useless to start off with...that's how we learn."

"I wish it came naturally though, like it does with you." She said.

"It will do." He assured her, putting his arm around her shoulder again, only this time, she leaned her head down to his shoulder. "It comes naturally when you experience the real thing. I've been around babies a lot, so I learned on the spot." He explained to her.

"So when you're a Dad one day, you'll be great straight away." She finished for him, even though that wasn't what he was going to say.

"And when you become a Mom, you'll be fantastic as well." He added.

"I bet I won't." She said.

"Well, if for some strange reason you're not, you don't have to worry, because I'll be there helping you out all the way." He assured her. "Because there's no way I'm not going to see my best friend's kid." Although secretly, they were both thinking that any kid of Kate's would be his.

Margo stuck her head around the open door, and smiled at the pose they were in. "Aw, look at the two of you." They raised their heads and looked at her. "Makes me feel like a Grandmother already." She said giddily, and then remembered what she was there for. "Dinner's ready, kids."

* * *

A/N: Sorry it's taken me a while to update this one! I've got another chapter that I'll probably upload tomorrow night or later on today, it depends how busy I am...hope you like it!  
Coming soon:  
Kate gets a phonecall, and a new home  
The dance  
What's that you say, Charlie Pace? A wedding? What on earth are you talking about you crazy rocker?  
"it's a wedding! I say that certain people need a wedding!  
Whatever you say, crazy boy...


	22. The Optimist

Here's the next chappie! I know I've updated twice in the same day again, but I've got a feeling that you don't mind that :P However, it might be a few more days until I get the next chapter up, because I've got to figure out what's happening exactly in it. This chapter cover's Kate's new home, which I think a few of you are curious about, and EternalConfusion (the lovely girl who reads every chapter of this before it goes up), didn't even know about it :P

* * *

Chapter 22: The Optimist

Dinner that night was one of the rare occassions when Jack's father joined them. He had the evening off, so he wouldn't be working in the emergency room until godforsaken hours of the morning. The four of them sat around the kitchen table, whilst Baby (the temporary name for the doll until they could come up with a better name), was wrapped in it's blanket between two cushions on the kitchen side that stop it falling off.

"I'm surprised that they're doing this project for your age." Christian remarked when Jack and Kate explained why they were nursing a doll. "I mean, I would have thought that they would do it for the younger students considering the things that happen these days."

Jack shrugged. "I guess after two girls in our grade got pregnant this year, they decided we needed it more." He suggested.

"So, are we looking at another pair of A's from you two?" He asked as he leaned over for the pepper.

"I doubt it." Kate laughed to herself.

"Hardly so." Christian said lightly. "You two have been on straight A's since you were six."

Kate gave a small smile. "There's a first time for everything." She reminded him.

Christian looked at her sadly, shaking his head. "Where's the optimistic Kate we all know and love?" He asked.

"The optimist is just in denial." Jack told his father, raising an eyebrow at Kate.

"Denial?" Kate questioned challengingly. "I don't see why the optimist is in denial."

"She doesn't want to think that she can do the project." Jack said, as if he were talking about someone else.

"With good reason." Kate said, jabbing her fork in his direction.

"With no reason." Jack shook his head. "Besides, you've got inspiration now you've made a bet with Shannon." He reminded her.

"What kind of bet?" Margo asked curiously.

"If our doll comes out with a higher percentage of care than their's does, then Claire and Shannon have to stop trying to force us to get together." Kate told them.

Christian smirked with a gentle laugh. "Why bother?" He asked them.

"Excuse me?" Jack asked.

"You two are made for each other." He told them like he was announcing that evening's news. "Your mother and I said that the first time we saw you together." Kate and Jack smiled, Kate burning red. "You know, some poeple are meant to suffer. Heck, that's why the Red Sox will never win the series. You two aren't though, you're going to make it all the way." He predicted.

"We are?" Kate asked.

Christian grinned and nodded. "I have a feeling."

"Well, if we are, then we should do it on our own grounds, not Shannon and Claire's." Jack said, repeating Kate's words from earlier.

"And you're mothers?" Christian questioned.

Jack and Kate looked up at Margo, who was currently giving her husband a look that told him to be quiet.

"What? Mom, no!" Jack pleaded.

"No what?" She said innocently.

"Please tell me what you haven't been conspiring with them." He begged.

"Okay then, I won't tell you." She shrugged.

"I don't believe it," Jack sighed. "My own family conspiring against me."

"For you, sweetie. We're conspiring for you." Margo corrected.

"That makes me feel so much better." Jack said sarcastically. Kate laughed. "I'm glad you find this funny." He said to her, as the telephone rang out in the hall and Margo went to answer it.

"What?" She said innocently. "They conspired with my Mom, it would only make sense that they conspired with yours as well."

Jack rolled his eyes and looked at his father. "Dad, you're not part of this conspiracy as well are you?" He asked, but Christian didn't answer as Margo came back into the room.

"Kate, honey, it's for you." She announced.

"Me?" She asked.

"It's Sam."

"It is?" Her face lit, up and as fast as lightening, she excused herself from the table and ran into the hall. She picked up the handset and lifted it to her ear as Margo and the others went back to eating.

"Dad?"

"You've got to stop calling me your father, Katie." Came the reply from the voice that she had wanted to hear for weeks.

"I'm not calling you my father. I'm calling you my Dad." She explained simply. She had always called Sam her Dad, even after she had learned that he was simply her step-father.

"How are you, sweetheart?" He asked her.

"I'm doing okay." She said honestly.

"Can I believe you on that one?" He asked. He knew her almost as well as Jack did.

"Yeah." She nodded. "Jack's family have been wonderful." She said, and then realised that she was on the phone to Sam at Jack's house. "How did you know I'd be here?" She asked.

"Wild guess." He said, as there was no question of where Kate was if she wasn't at home. "Katie...I'm coming back."

"Coming back?" She questioned. "Back home?"

"They read your mother's will yesterday." He started, but Kate interrupted him.

"But, I thought I was going to be there for that?"

"Wayne told them you were unavailable." Sam explained, and Kate rolled her eyes. She should have known Wayne would have done something like that.

"What did it say?" She asked.

"Your mother made several alterations to the will before she...before she passed, but she didn't change the your custody decisions."

Kate slumped her shoulders against the wall, leaning her head against it just underneath a photograph. "So...I'm stuck with him, right?" She realised. If her mother hadn't changed it, then Wayne would still be her legal guardian.

"Not quite..." Sam said. "I'm coming back so that you can live with me, Katie." He said.

Kate lifted her head from the wall. "I can?" She asked.

"Yes. Your mother left me as your legal guardian." He explained.

"But...the army-" There had to be something stopping this, surely things wouldn't become right so easily.

"I took a year's leave. That's long enough for me to secure you into your future after school."

Kate decided not to tell him about her recent thoughts about not going to college, and instead asked the important question. "When will you be here?" She asked.

"I'll be there on Saturday, a friend of mine has ben working on an house not to far from your school. Everything will be ready for you on Sunday."

She grinned. "I can't wait."

"I'll come and see you on Saturday, okay?"

"Okay."

"You'll be at Jack's?"

She smiled again. Where else would she be? "Yeah. I will."

"Okay, see you soon, honey."

"Bye, Daddy."

Kate hung up the phone, and smiled to herself for a moment before heading back to the kitchen. Her grin didn't fade as she floated back through the door and into her chair beside Jack, and they all noticed it. It was the most that Kate had been smiling in days.

"Well that's a smile we like to see." Christian nodded.

"Good news?" Jack asked her.

Kate nodded. "They read Mom's will yesterday. Sam's coming back to me by legal guardian."

Jack grinned along with her, knowing what it meant if Sam was coming back. "So, you haven't got to live with Wayne?"

Kate shook her head.

"Kate, that's fantastic!" Jack cried, dropping his fork onto his plate and embracing her quickly.

"When will he be here?" Margo asked.

"He said he'd be back on Saturday, and that he'll be ready for me to move in on Sunday." Kate told her.

"That's good for you, honey. At least you don't have to live with that nasty man anymore." Margo muttered the last bit about 'nasty man'. She had never liked Wayne, and had never hidden that fact from Kate since the day that Kate first came round with bruises on her arm.

"Thank God." Kate agreed, and then her smile faded. "I know that I'm excited about Sam coming back, but that doesn't mean that I'm not grateful for what you've done for me." She explained to them.

"Oh, Kate, honey, don't mention it." Margo waved off as if housing her for three weeks was nothing at all.

"No, I mean it." Kate insisted. "I really can't thank you enough."

"Our door's always open to you." Christian told her.

Kate was about to reply with more thanks when Baby made it's presence known and started crying wildly. Rather than banging her head against the table in frustration like she wanted to, Kate stood up and went over to the baby, trying to figure out why she was crying. She wasn't wet. She wasn't tired...

"Baby's hungry." She announced, and went over to the other side of the kitchen where the feeding equipment was.

"Baby's always hungry." Jack laughed.

"Babies eat a lot at that age." Margo remembered. "I always thought that you were going to weigh a ton with the amount that you ate, Jack."

"Baby?" Christian asked incredulously as Kate went and sat back down with Baby, feeding her whilst Jack watched. "You called a baby Baby?"

"For now." Jack explained.

"We can come up with a better name than that." His father insisted.

"We couldn't think of any." Kate pointed out. "That's why we went with Baby."

"Right, so...it's girl, and you want something nice." Christian said to himself, and then he had a brainwave. "One of the girls at work, her daughter had a baby this morning." He told them. "She called the baby George."

"George is a boy's name." Jack pointed out.

"I know...but Georgia isn't."

Georgia.

"Georgia's nice." Kate said. "I like it."

Jack smiled back at her, and they nodded together. "Georgia it is."


	23. Cliches

As it got later, Jack and Kate made their way upstairs to get ready for bed. Kate dived into the bathroom first to get changed, whilst Jack got changed in the bedroom. She came back several minutes later with her pyjamas on, and found that he was changing a now-smelly doll's nappy. She grinned as she watched his face crease up at the smell, wondering how on earth they managed to make these dolls that way, and waited until he was finished before daring to go near him.

She insisted that she was the one to put their newly named baby to bed, and to her delight, little plastic Georgia was asleep only minutes after Kate started to settle her. Smiling proudly as she placed her into the makeshift bed they had made in the chair of Jack's room, she looked at the doll with interest.

"I can't believe she went to sleep straight away." She mused with a smile.

"See," Jack said from where he was standing beside the bed, drawing the covers ready to get into it. "I told you that it wouldn't be as bad as you thought it would be."

She raised an eyebrow at the smug grin he was wearing when she turned around, and he climbed into bed without responding to her challenging look.

"Okay, Mr Ego, you were right." She surrendered, going over to her hairbrush which was on his desk.

He put his arms behind his head as a pillow, and looked over at her. "I am not egotistical." He insisted.

"You so are." She disgreed.

"No I'm not."

"Yes, you are." She said, laughing a little at the amount of insistance he was putting into proving that he wasn't.

"I'm just proud of myself." He corrected her.

"Same thing." She said, putting the hairbrush down and pulling her hair into a ponytail. The shorter sections at the front hung down, and she tucked them behind her ears.

"No it's not, because I can be proud of things other than myself." He pointed out.

Kate made her way over to the bed, and crawled in beside him, laying on her front to face him.

"I'm proud of you, you know." He told her quietly.

"Me?" She asked, she hadn't been expecting him to say that.

"Yeah, really proud." He smiled.

She looked at him strangely. "Are you sure you didn't hit your head or something?" She asked wearily.

He shook his head and smiled. "I mean it, Kate...you've been through a lot recently, with your Mom, and then Tom being an asshole as well, and Wayne being Wayne, and Sam not being here, and you've come through it all still smiling. That takes heart, and a lot of bravery."

She looked down at the pillow before her, playing with the corner of it with her fingers. "I'm not brave." She mumbled.

"I think you are." He nodded.

"Yeah, but you're biased." She insisted.

"How am I?" He asked.

"You're my best friend, you care abut me. You're meant to tell me that stuff." She pointed out to him, as if she was reciting it from the ancient rules of friendship.

"Being your friend means that I get to be the first person to tell you that you're being brave." He said. "And me caring about you makes me the best judge because you can't lie to me."

She smirked. "I can lie to you, I just don't bother." She said.

"Oh yeah?" He challenged. "Name one time where you've lied to me."

"No." She said.

"Why not, can't think of any?"

"If I told you, then it wouldn't be a lie anymore."

"Just admit that you haven't actually lied to me before." He told her.

"Okay...I might not have that I can remember..."

"I knew it." He said triumphantly.

She pulled a face. "Hey! Have you ever lied to me?"

"Of course not." He told her. "Not since I told you everything on Saturday night..."

She smiled. Saturday night had been an interesting night to say the least. "Fair dues."

"I've lied about you though." He revealed to her.

She frowned. "What?" He'd lied about her? Wasn't that bad? He had lied because he was ashamed of her? Of something that she'd done?

"Not bad, or anything." He covered up quickly before she got the wrong idea. "I just told Charlie that I didn't care for you in anything more than friendship."

"When did you tell him that?" She asked, her frown fading.

"This morning." Jack grinned.

"Oh, so a big lie then." She smirked.

"Just a little."

She shook her head. "There's no such thing as a little big lie." She said.

"Just like there's no such thing as falling for your best friend?" He countered.

"Where'd you hear that?"

"Something in a movie." He shrugged. "The guy in it said that it's impossible to fall for your best mate."

Didn't that happen in nearly every romantic comedy these days? "What happened in the ending?" She asked him, even though she knew how all those films ended.

"He found out that he'd already fallen for his best mate, and had to get the courage to tell her that before she went away."

"Sounds cliche." Kate mused, wondering all the while whether it would be like that for her. Would she end up leaving, not knowing about her feelings for Jack? Would he be the one debating whether or not to tell her before she left? Surely not, as he had already told her, but was it more than that? Did his feelings for her go beyond a simple 'l really like you'?

"Not necessarily." Jack shrugged. "But speaking of going away...I'm going to miss you." He said.

She gave him a comforting smile. "Jack, I'm going a few blocks away, it's not like I'm moving to a different country." She reminded him.

"Yeah, but its going to be weird not waking up to see you next to me every morning."

She stuck her tongue out at him. "Now that sounds cliche." She teased.

"It's not cliche, it's just me." He said. "It's been really great seeing you all the time, like we're living in the same house."

She nodded. "I guess it will be weird going back to how things were before." She agreed. Having spent the past few weeks with Jack and his parents, with other members of his family popping over at weekends, it would definately be a change to go back to living with Sam, with just the two of them.

"There is one improvement, though." He said.

"What's that?"

"I don't have to worry about you getting hurt where you'll be living now."

Kate bit her lip as he looked down at her with his eyes full of relief and concern. Jack had always hated the fact that Wayne was mean to her, and never hid the fact that he worried he would hurt her. So, when Wayne did lash out at her, she would always cover up the evidence. She would wear long-sleeved shirts to cover up the bruises on her arms, and get a sick note for her gym lesson so that she didn't hurt her already injured wrist which she had 'caught on a bad angle'.

She didn't want to see the disappointment in Jack's eyes when she showed him the damage caused to her - the same look he had given her when he had found the blood-covered razor the night he first brough her home. So she hid it from him. She hated to think that she was hiding it to him, which is why she wouldn't admit to remembering lying to him. She lied to him all the time when it came to Wayne hitting her.

There was one secret that she didn't think she could ever tell him, though. Something that happened when she was twelve years old that made her lose faith in men for a long time. Something that still gave her nightmares, and she had always been terrified of it happening again. Nights where she was alone with Wayne when her mother was in hospital were the worst - because Diane wasn't there to protect her. So she never told anyone, just like Wayne made her promise, and got on with her life.

"No...you won't." She answered quietly after a long time.

There was another silence, where Jack watched her averted eyes, seeing the betrayal that was hidden behind them. He knew that something had happened that she wasn't telling him about. He also knew that this was Kate, and that there was no chance of her telling him something unless she was completely ready. Chances were, if she hadn't told him, she hadn't told anyone.

"It's cruel to say this, and really, really selfish," He started, causing the darkened look in her eyes to fade as she looked at him again, "but I almost wish that Wayne got custody, because then you could stay here forever."

Kate gave him a small smile. She had wondered how long the Shepherd's would have let her stay if it turned out that Sam wasn't given custody. She would have easily stayed there before heading off on her own when school was over, but it wasn't fair on Jack's family. They shouldn't have to house a broken girl because their son didn't want her to go home.

"I wish that I could stay." She admitted. "I want to stay. It's just that Sam's been through so much trouble to get a place out here ready...I can't say no." She told him.

Jack nodded. "I know." He said, although he was inwardly pleased to know that she wanted to stay here. "I understand that, I just...like having you here, with me. It feels right..."

"...Like this is how things are meant to be." She said, finishing the sentance that he started. He smiled at her softly, nodding. "Maybe thats because it is how it's meant to be...me and you, together."

Usually, it was Jack that came out with those lines. It wasn't Kate's style to believe in destiny and fate, and she often told him that.

"I thought that you didn't believe in fate?"

"I don't." She shrugged. "But I believe in us."

Hearing her say that was like music to his ears, no matter how cliche it sounded. He knew that she was confused with her feelings because of everything that had happened, and that she wanted to wait, but at that moment, he had an overwhelming urge to kiss her. He managed to fight that feeling down, because he didn't want to rush her. After all, he wanted her whole heart, not half of it.

"You really think we can make it?" He asked her, the same way that she would have asked him if he suggested the idea.

She thought for a moment, and then nodded, slowly at first, but then firmly. "I know we can."

Jack smiled again, and removed one arm from behind his head to put a hand on her shoulder, which was only covered by the thin spaghetti straps of her tank top. "You said that Sam was coming down long enough to secure your future after school?"

"Yeah."

"You think he'd let that be with me?" He asked her.

She smiled, trust Jack to bring up the age old tradition of asking the father's permission. She always figured he'd be the chivalrous, knight in shining armour, white horse, kind of man.

"You know what? I know that he wouldn't mind at all, and even if he did, it wouldn't change my mind." She said confidently.

"How come?"

"Because no matter what anyone else thinks, I know that you'll look after me, because you always have done." She pointed out.

"I'd be my main priority, making sure you're happy." He told her.

She gave him a 'tut'. "You're slipping back into the cliches again, Jack." She warned him playfully.

"I don't care." He waved off. "I want things to be so amazing that in ten, twenty, or fifty years time, I can wake up, and see you're smiling still, and knowing that you're happy and you've got a good life." He said proudly.

She smiled at him. "Thank you, Jack."

"No need to thank me." He brushed off again. "It's what I want to do. Now, however, we should get some sleep before our lovely baby-doll wakes up."

Kate agreed, and rolled onto her side as they pulled the covers up around them. When Kate pressed herself against Jack's side, he didn't complain, and put his arm around her, holding her tight against him.

"Jack?" She asked into the silence of the room, whilst he leaned over to turn the lamp off.

"Yeah?"

"How long before all of this is real?" She asked him.

"All of what?" He asked her back.

"Me and you together, like this, and a baby the other side of the room...do you really think that its going to happen?"

He nodded. "Course I do...why, are you feeling broody already Ms I-Don't-Want-The-Evil-Dolly?"

She swatted his chest playfully as she started feeling sleepier. "Don't start." She warned him. "Hmm...night Jack." She yawned.

"Night, Katie."


	24. Mr Asshole

The sound of wailing babies filled the canteen, with Shannon and Claire sitting tiredly beside each other, rocking the dolls in a futile attempt to calm them. This was an impossible idea, however, as the dolls had been completely worked up for about two hours now. Kate could feel her head buzzing with the sound, and was thankful that hers and Jack's doll wasn't taking the same approach as the others.

"This is a nightmare!" Shannon complained, looking like she was deciding whether to rip out her hair, or just break down and cry.

"Tell me about it." Claire groaned. "It didn't stop crying all night!"

"Mine either! Why did I volunteer for the first night?" Shannon whined.

"Charlie is definately taking ours with him tonight." Claire said. "No way am I sleeping in the same room as that plastic monster again."

Clearly, Claire had changed her tune since the previous day, and now considered her adorable little boy to be a plastic monster. Opposite her, Charlie looked up from his sandwich in fear.

"I was tempted to look for the battery panel and remove whatever it is that keeps it from crying." Shannon admitted. Tempted was hardly the right word. At around three in the morning, she was actually trying to locate a battery panel using her nail file as a screwdriver.

"Really?" Kate asked innocently. "We had a really easy night, didn't we?" She said, turning her head to Jack slightly, who was sitting with the Georgia doll in his lap.

Shannon gave her an exasperated look. "You're kidding, right?"

She shook her head. "Nope." She confirmed. "She only cried one time once we started swaddling her."

"Swaddling?" Claire asked.

"It's a trick that Jack taught me." Kate said, feeling Jack's proud smile from beside her. "It stops them crying."

"Huh?"

"What now?"

The idea of something being able to stop the babies crying was just too much of a long shot for the girls, who were at wits end, but at the same time, not thinking to hand the dolls over to Charlie and Sayid, who sat opposite them silently.

"See, like this." Kate said, and demonstrated the swaddling on their doll before them. "See - no crying." She said proudly.

"How does that work?" Claire asked, starting to do the swaddling on her doll.

"Babies like the security of being wrapped." Kate recited, remembering what Jack had told her. They shared a smile, and Claire looked at Shannon nervously.

"We could be seriously in danger of losing this bet, Shan." She muttered under her breath.

"Relax...so, Kate..."

"Check it out!" Charlie piped up. "Sawyer's getting an earful from Ana!"

They all looked round to the other side of the canteen, where Sawyer and Ana were standing and arguing about the doll. At the moment, Sawyer was holding the doll whose sex was still unrevealed, and was trying to force it to Ana, who was pushing it back to him.

"Just take it!" He insisted.

"You take it!"

"You're the girl!"

"You're the boy!" She countered, and then shot at him: "Although I'm starting to doubt that."

He looked at her incredulously. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Exactly what it says on the tin, pretty boy!"

He shook his head. "Don't 'pretty boy' me, Lulu - take the damn doll."

She gave him the same degree of anger back at him. "Don't you remember what I said I'd do to you if you called me that one more time?" She threatened him.

"You'd have to sew them back on first!" He snapped back, causing everyone else around them to laugh.

"Ouch." Shannon winced whilst laughing. "She's got him whipped."

"Really?" Kate wondered.

"You should know, Kate, I mean, you've got Jack pretty whipped." Claire said, not turning her head from the argument she was watching.

"I am not whi-" Jack began, but Claire waved at him, cutting him off.

"Shh! We're watching the domestic!"

"We're both in this project together, you know." Ana reminded him.

"Yeah, I know." Sawyer agreed. "And today is your day."

"My day?"

"I did yesterday and last night...now it's your turn...then I'll do the next day, you do the day after, and on friday - kid goes back in the box." He explained, as if he were talking to a four year old.

"Well, if you weren't such a jerk-"

"Hey, when did this become about me all of a sudden?" He asked her unfairly.

"When you decided you were going to hike up the sarcasm a notch too high!"

He scoffed. "A notch? It can go a lot higher than this, sweetheart!"

"Oh, bless." Shannon said sweetly. "They're already like a married couple."

"So are Jack and Kate, but they don't fight like that." Charlie pointed out.

"They don't fight at all." Sayid corrected.

Jack and Kate looked at each other with a frown. "We're sitting right here you know. We can hear you."

"And you're not denying it." Claire pointed out.

"Shh! We're watching the domestic!" Shannon hushed.

"I didn't even want to do this stupid project!" Ana complained.

"You think I did?"

"You seemed fine with it yesterday."

"It's called acting, sweet cheeks." Sawyer told her. "Maybe you should try it sometime...try acting NICE for once!"

"I'll do that if you stop acting like such an asshole!" She agreed.

"That's not acting." Sawyer disproved, much her her annoyance. "That's just who I am...and thats Mr Asshole to you."

She grabbed her hair in her hands, clenching her fists. "God, you are so annoying!" She almost screamed through gritten teeth.

"Then take the goddamn doll and I'll stop annoying you." He said. The others had to admit - it was a good proposal. Any other woman would have taken the doll just to stop the annoyance. But not Ana.

"No!"

"Take it!"

"Make me!"

That was her downfall.

"Fine then!" And with that, Sawyer set out to make her. So he threw the doll towards her. He knew from experience that if the doll rolled off a chair it would scream for at least an hour...dropping from it's height at the moment, it wouldn't stop for a week. So, naturally, Ana was forced to catch the doll when it fell near her. "See." Sawyer said smugly. "Not so hard."

"Jerk" She murmered.

"Cow!"

"Pig!"

"Hemaphrodite!"

Ana looked at him in mock wonder. "That's a big word, Sawyer, careful you don't choke on it!"

"Oh, go to hell." He said half heartedly.

"As long as you're not there!" She shouted over her sholder as she stalked off, the doll in tow, much to Sawyer's amusement, but then a strange look came over his face.

"Hey, Ana!" He called after her, and she turned to look at him.

"What now?" She asked boredly.

"You still coming to the dance with me?" He asked her cheekily.

She shrugged. "Course I am."

Sawyer smiled, and as Ana walked off, he went over to get his lunch.

Kate looked at him strangely as he walked off. "I'm no expert, but surely it's not meant to be like that." She mused.

"Ah, the love-hate relationships, so good to work with." Shannon said airly.

Sayid groaned. "Should I be prepared for more wedding plans?" He asked tiredly.

Shannon shook her head. "No need...they'll be a shotgun vegas wedding." She decided.

"Sawyer?" Jack questioned, but then realised that he had no trouble visualising a drunken Sawyer swaying beside a drunken blonde about to get married, strangely with a theme that resembled a John Wayne film. "No, wait, yeah, I can see it." He said.

"Unlike your wedding." Shannon continued.

"Hmm?" Jack asked, half curiously, half not listening because he had heard it a thousand times before. Kate just looked at Shannon tiredly as if she was watching a television repeat. How many times did they have to discuss the non-existant wedding?

"Kate in a nice white dress...you in a tux...kinda like the dance next week." Shannon mused, before Claire cut in.

"No, white is too conventional for Kate, it should be another colour...unique." She intervened.

"Red." Shannon decided, and Kate eyed her suspiciously, the blonde girl winking at her. Red was the colour of the dress she was wearing to the dance the following friday night.

"Hmm." Jack repeated, but a bit more interested than he was pretending to be.

"Nice ceremony...not full of drunken gamblers..." Claire said.

"No fights breaking out." Shannon mused.

"No one else queuing behind you except for wanting to take pictures of the happy couple."

"No more 'I wonder if Kate likes me's"

"No more 'We're only friends'"

"Just wedded bliss."

"Happy endings."

"The old ball and chain." Charlie said, cutting in, him and Hurley deciding to continue on just as the girls had, including the dreamy voice.

"Locked up forever." Hurley agreed.

"Eternal slavery..."

Suddenly, Jack's head snapped up. "I'm sorry, what?" He asked.

Hurley laughed. "Dude, you kinda tranced out there."

"I was thinking." Jack covered up.

Shannon was quick to the marker. "You were totally imagining a wedding!" She accused him with a smile.

"Was not!" He insisted.

"Was too!"

"Was not!"

"Was too!"

"Did Kate look nice?" Claire asked innocently.

"She looked beaut-Hey! Was not!" He jumped at being caught out, and even Kate had to laugh at that. Jack turned to her and gave her a withering look. "I'm glad you find this funny."

She bit her lip to stop from laughing. "Of course not, Jack, it's not funny at all." She said, lying clearly through her teeth.

He surrended, shaking his head. "Okay...just laugh."

"So you're admitting it?" Kate questioned.

"I'm admitting nothing." Jack said determinedly.

"Are we invited?" Charlie asked innocently.

"Charlie!" Jack complained.

"What?" He asked. "If you guys are getting married, then I want to be there."

"Face it, Jack, you're completely whipped." Shannon told him.

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Am not."

"Are too."

"Jack, will you change Georgia?" Kate asked him sweetly. "I've still got lunch left to eat."

"Sure, give her here." Jack smiled, taking the doll from Kate.

Charlie made the sound of a whip being cracked, and Jack rolled his eyes. Sawyer came over, hearing the sound. "Who's whipped?" He asked curiously.

"Jack." They all said together - even Kate.

"Pft! Like that's news!" He shrugged.

"How'd it go with Ana?" Kate asked politely.

"We had a minor disagreement, but we managed to resolve the situation like proper adults and come to a conclusion that worked for both of us." He said professionally.

If they hadn't heard them screaming - they might just have believed him. "Sawyer, we all heard you screaming at each other, and we all saw you throw the baby at her." Kate pointed out.

"It's just a doll." Sawyer said innocently. "It would have hurt Ana more than the doll."

"You can't just throw a baby, Sawyer!" Kate told him.

"Relax, Freckles, I ain't throwing no real babies around." He assured her.

A bell rang above them, and they all groaned at each other. Lunch had gone faster that day - particularly for Sawyer, who had barely even started his lunch. Gathering up their things, they headed off to their gym lessons, arguing along the way about who was going to sit with the babies while they were doing it.


	25. Confusion Is Nothing New

**Here ya go my lovelys! I've got the next two chapters written up as well, so you might be lucky and get an update once a day for a few more days while I sort out the next ones. At the moment, I'm balancing this with Fallen From Grace, but when that's finished (which will be soon) this is going to become my priority fic. The next two chapters made me cry writing them sniff  
Love you all! My thanks go to Laura, Emma, Sophie and Liz! My great pals!  
xxxxxxxx

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Chapter 25:

In gym class, the girls had opted to be the ones who sat out with the babies. The boys all headed off to play basketball, whilst Shannon, Claire and Kate, all now content with their not-screaming dolls, sat and talked. Kate discovered that the others had an even harder time than her and Jack at naming their dolls, and that their mothers came up with the names. Shannon and Sayid's doll was called Shaun, and Charlie and Claire called theirs Max. Claire didn't really agree on the name at first, seeing as Max was the name of Charlie's pet rat, but Charlie had fallen in love with it, for the same reason that Claire hadn't.

"At last, a reason to get out of gym." Shannon said blissfully as they overlooked the basketball courts outside from the bench they were sitting on.

"Without faking a sick note." Claire added, and then got an innocent look on her face which none of them fell for. "Not that I've ever done that, of course." She covered up hastily.

"Speak for yourself, I love gym." Kate told them, looking out at the match almost longingly.

"Then why are you sitting here holding a doll?" Shannon questioned.

"I'm open to new experiences." She shrugged.

Claire laughed. "Kate, people say that when they're considering bungee jumping, not babysitting plastic."

"I thought we were meant to be pretending they were real." Kate challenged, remembering the conversation at lunch yesterday being the near enough opposite of this.

"You've changed your tune a bit." Shannon pointed out, considering that Kate had been adament to stay twelve miles away from the doll at all times yesterday.

Kate smiled, watching as Jack incercepted the ball between Sawyer and Charlie. "I think Jack did that for me." She told them,

"No surprise there." Claire replied.

"I've said it before, I'll say it again," Shannon said. "You're made for each other."

Kate remembered everything that had happened in the last few weeks. "I think I see what you mean."

Both of the girls looked at her, wondering who this imposter was and what she had done with Kate. Kate never agreed with them on this.

"Shan, did you hear that?" Claire asked her. "She agreed."

"Who are you and what have you done with Kate?" Shannon asked warily.

Kate sighed heavily. "Seriously, guys, I'm really confused at the moment." She told them.

"How come?"

She had to tell them. They were girls. They were her friends. This is what they were supposed to do, right? Swapping girly stories and relationship problems? "You know that kiss in the mall?" She said hesistantly.

"Oh yes, it was magical." Claire said dreamily.

"It was fake." She said quickly.

"WHAT?" They both asked, near enough exploding on her.

"Stage kissing." Kate continued. "To see what your reaction would be."

"Why?" Shannon whined.

"We were both getting so much stick from everyone for being around each other, it just seemed like a good idea at the time..." Kate remembered. "...but that little kiss afterwards..."

"Where he pecked your lips really gently like in a movie?" Claire asked.

God, how closely had they been watching?

"Yeah...that one...that one was real..." Kate nodded.

"So you really did kiss?" Shannon checked.

"Yeah, but that was the first kiss." She said.

"So why are you confused?" Shannon asked her. "Why not just jump him now?"

It wasn't like she hadn't thought about it. She thought about it a lot. In fact, she had been forced to think about it that same day when Shannon and Claire insisted on talking about sex whilst they tried on dresses. So why didn't she just jump him? For the exact same reasons that she told Jack on Saturday night - she couldn't rush this. She needed time.

"On saturday night, he told me that he really cared for me, and wanted us to be together." She admitted quietly.

Shannon looked at her as if she were crazy. "And I repeat: why are you confused? Why not just jump him now?"

"I said I needed time." She said, still watching Jack playing basketball.

"Kate!" Claire exploded. "This is Jack! This most sought-after guy in the school - there might not be time!"

"Well, I need time, and he respects that." Kate explained. "I want to be with him as well, but I need time to make sure that it's not just on the rebound from Tom. If I got a few weeks into a relationship and started to hate either one of us, it would ruin our friendship." She explained to them.

"Aha." Shannon said, and Claire nodded, both understanding what she meant now.

"But Sam's coming back from the army on Sunday for me to move in with him." She continued.

"You're moving away?" Claire asked, rather panicky.

"No, he's brought a place a few blocks from here." She told them, before they got it into their heads that she was going off to the other side of America where he was stationed. "But it'd mean leaving Jack's." She pointed out.

"And that's make you realise that you can't be without him." Shannon finished for her.

She nodded. "What do I do?" She asked helplessly.

"You tell him." Shannon shrugged simply.

"It's not that simple." Kate insisted.

"Yes it is." Shannon nodded. "It's what you want to hear from us. A subconscious need. You tell people things like this because you want us to tell you to tell him so that it seems more realistic for you to do."

Claire and Kate looked at Shannon strangely, wondering whether she had actually been paying attention in her psychology lesson to understand that well enough to use against them.

"It hasn't even been a week since he told me." Kate pointed out. "I can't turn around after three days and say that I've had enough time."

"But clearly you have." Claire piped up.

"And you shouldn't waste anymore time without him." Shannon said, rather satisfied with herself.

Kate sighed. "I just don't know how to tell him."

"I do." Shannon said, and Kate looked at her, awaiting the answer, and wondering whether or not she was going to like this plan. "Just go up to him, kiss him, and tell him that you love him."

Was she insane?

"Shan-"

"You do love him, right?" She carried on.

"Look, I-"

"Do you?"

Kate bit her lip, and shrugged her shoulders. "Love's a strong word, Shannon."

"And do you love him?"

There was a long silence, during which, Kate returned her eyes to Jack. He threw the basketball through the hoop, giving Sayid a high-five. His eyes met her for a moment, and he smiled in her direction, giving her a wave as he jogged down to the centre line of the court. She smiled weakly back.

"I'm not sure." She replied quietly.

Was it because she couldn't sat it at all?

Or because she couldn't say it to them?

* * *

Later that night, Kate stood beside Margo in the kitchen, helping her to clear away after dinner. Jack had homework that he was doing up in his room, taking Georgia-doll with him, and Kate insisted on helping Margo before she started. Ever since she learned that Sam was returning, she wanted to help out around the house more so that she wasn't being waited on hand and foot. 

Margo passed another soapy dish to Kate, who started to dry it with the cloth, noticing the thoughtful expression on the teenagers face. Since her talk with Shannon and Claire in gym class, she had barely taken her mind off of the topic of love. She cared for Jack, but was she in love with him?

"Are you okay, dear, you're awfully quiet today?" Margo asked her tenderly.

Kate snapped out of her daze. "Yeah, I'm just...thinking about...stuff." She explained.

"Stuff, huh?" Margo queried.

"Yeah, stuff."

"Would this be boy stuff, or girl stuff?"

Kate smirked. "Boy stuff that was spurred on by girl stuff." She confirmed.

"Let me guess," Margo tried. "You were talking about a boy to the girls, and now they've got him stuck in your mind?"

Again, Kate let out a tiny laugh, accompanied by a nod. "Yeah, thats about right."

"Need I guess who this boy is?" Margo asked.

"Well, I can tell you that it isn't Tom." She said, almost spitting his name, mentally wringing his neck.

"With good reason." Margo agreed. "Any clues as to who this mystery crush of yours is?"

A guessing game? Time to see if she was really as obvious as Shannon and Claire made her out to be.

"Hhmm...he's handsome." Kate told her.

Margo shook her head. "Whenever you have a crush on someone, you always think that they're handsome." She told her.

"He's smart." Kate said.

"Quite a lot of boys are these days. Come on, some better clues." Margo tempted.

"He's going into the family business...he's very committed..."

"Height?"

"Taller that me." Kate said, after all, she only just came above his shoulder.

"Does he have a way with words?" Margo asked her.

"Uh huh..." Kate nodded, and them smiled, remembering something else. "He's got a way with timing as well...and he's patient."

Margo raised an eyebrow suspiciously, looking at the ceiling, and then back at the cute, almost embarrassed smile on Kate's lips. "Is he sitting upstairs from us doing his homework?"

Caught of guard, Kate's head snapped up. "Umm..."

"Aha." Margo nodded, grinning. "I see now...and where do the girls fit into this?"

"They were trying to get me to say that I loved him." She told her.

"And you couldn't say it." Margo finished.

Kate nodded with a sigh - she really was that transparent. "I wanted to say it, but I couldn't." She admitted. "Not to them."

"Why not?"

"Because they're not to him." She said. "When I say those words for the first time, I should say them to him, not to them."

Margo smiled at her. "Well, thats understandable. In fact, I think that's a very intelligent reason."

"I don't know whether I'd freak out hearing him say it, though." Kate shrugged.

"Why would you freak out?" Margo asked her.

"Because he's been my best friend for ten years...what if it doesn't feel right?"

Margo nodded slowly. "Kate, what if I told you that he'd already said it."

"Sarah." She nodded, realising.

"Just before you called him that night, he came back from Sarah's after they had broken up." Margo said, abandoning the washing up to guide Kate over to the table, and sat down beside her. "He came straight in here, into the kitchen, and when I came in, he was pacing up and down, over and over again, like he was going mad. After a few minutes, he told me that Sarah had told him that she loved him, and that when he went to reply, it came out "I love you too, Kate.". He started cursing to himself, and saying over and over again that he did't realise it until now, and that Sarah had even said that she knew it." Kate looked away slowly. "When I asked him what he was going to do, he said that he wasn't going to do anything, because he loved you enough not to break things with Tom."

"And then a few days later, I told him that I didn't really love Tom." Kate remembered quietly. In fact, she was sitting in the same place as where she had told him that.

"He probably had a field day when you told him that." Margo told her. "And if I assume rightly, the night before he went to sleep holding you in his arms, just to make sure you were okay?"

Kate nodded slowly, a gentle smile forming on her lips at the memory. "Yeah...yeah he did."

"Kate, sweetheart," Margo began softly. "You've always been like the daughter I never had. I have to admit, that when Jack started growing up and bringing girls home, I did always hope that maybe one of them would turn out like you. Instead, he brings home Sarah, the exact opposite of you, and then he says your name instead of hers when he tells her the most important thing she'll ever hear from a man's mouth. I always wished that my daughter-in-law in years to come would be like you, but Jack...he wished that it would be you for real."

Kate nodded, biting her lip nervously, and then looked back up at Margo. "He told me, the other day, how he felt about me." She told her.

"He told you that he loved you?"

She shook her head. "He told me that he really, really liked me, and he said about what happened with Sarah, and what he had done, and that he was glad that it had happened." She stuttered a bit. "I...I said that I needed time, to make sure that I wasn't just feeling on the rebound from Tom. Any other guy, it would be okay to do that...but not Jack."

"Kate, he's waited ten years." Margo pointed out. "I'm sure a few more days isn't going to kill him."

"I guess not." She realised.

"When you leave on Sunday, it's going to crush him." Margo nodded.

Kate nodded in agreement. "It's going to crush me too."

"Then that must tell you something, surely?" She suggested.

Kate sighed. "It tells me that I know it, but I just can't tell him. I don't know how." Why couldn't it be as simple as everyone was making it out to be?

Margo stood up, putting her hand on Kate's shoulder. "When the time is right, you'll know how." She assured her. "Now, scoot, I can finish up here, and you have homework to do."

Kate stood up, with Margo ushering her in the direction of the stairs, but then called her back.

"And Kate?" She turned around to look at her. "Stop worrying to much." She smiled.

Kate nodded, and headed upstairs to where Jack was, all the while, her stomach buzzing with nervousness.

* * *

Will she ever tell him that she loves him?  
What will happen when she leaves with Sam?  
Will Kate go back to her self-harming ways?  
Will Sammy ever get around to writing the School Dance? 


	26. So Easy It's Scary

**Okay, this chapter has a lot of angst in it, and I'm sorry if the content offends or upsets anyone! Thanks Emma, Laura, Liz and Sophie - without you four I'd be lost!  
xxxxx  
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Chapter 26:

Come Thursday, two days later, Kate's mind was still buzzing around. Was it love? If it was, why couldn't she just admit it? Why was it so hard to say if that's what she felt? She never was good at showing her emotions. Tom always told her that she was too hidden. Jack never told her that though - he knew what she was feeling.

For the past few days, Jack watched as Kate distanced herself from everyone. She didn't completely blank them out, but it was enough for Jack to notice, even if the others didn't say anything. When he could bear it no longer, whilst they sat together in English, he scribbled a note down on a piece of paper, and slid it across the table to her.

_Are you okay? Jack xxx_

She gave him a smile, and wrote back to him.

_Yeah, I'm fine. xxx_

He eyed the message suspiciously before picking up his pen again.

_Fine fine, or "Fine" fine? xxx_

_Jack, I appreciate your concern, but I'm okay, you don't need to worry about me. xxx_

_I do worry about you. You've been really quiet the past couple of days. Are you sure everything's okay? xxx_

_Everything's fine. I've just had some things to think about._

_Well, if you want to talk about anything, I'm right here._

_Thanks Jack, I can't, but thanks anyway_

_How come?_

_Reason #1...We're going to get yelled at by Mr Hollingbury if we talk. Reason #2...I can't talk to you about it until I've figured it out._

Jack realised what she was talking about.

_Oh, that sort of stuff._

_Yeah._

_Well, whenever you're ready._

_Thanks xxx_

_No problem._

_Can I ask you something?_

_Sure_

_If you knew something that I didn't know, would you tell me?_

_As long as it wasn't a present for you or something, of course I would. Why do you ask?_

_What's the answer to question 4?_

Jack let out a laugh quietly, so that the teacher didn't hear, and slid his exercise book across the table to her.

* * *

Later that evening, Kate sat in the bathroom upstairs by herself. She put the lid down on the toilet so that she could use it for a seat, and ran the shower so that no one would come in whilst she was in there. She just needed to be alone for a while, things were getting too much for her. 

For the first time since the funeral, she was starting to feel the pain of her mother dying again. Ever since she had been at Jack's, that pain had been gone. On her first day there, he and the rest of her friends spent the whole day making her laugh. He made her breakfast, she made him wear a dress. They watched her favourite movie, even though she had seen it a thousand times. He said he'd bring her the sun to make her smile. He sang to her on karaoke. He comforted her when she broke up with Tom. He had assured her that everything would be all right, and she had believed him.

But now, she couldn't believe that anymore.

More than ever, she needed to talk to her mother. She missed being able to come home from school, wander into the kitchen, and see Diane standing there, halfway through cooking dinner, or sitting at the table reading a magazine, and they would talk for hours about so many little things that Kate wished she could talk about again.

She wanted to tell her mother what had happened with Tom, how he had betrayed her. She needed to hear her say that Tom wasn't worth it, and that she should find someone else. They probably would have spent the whole next day together watching movies and eating chocolate.

She wanted to go dress shopping with her mother, instead of with Shannon and Claire. Diane had always helped her to choose what to wear to the dances, even if they couldn't always afford the latest fashions, they would always spend like mad on those days. Somehow, she would have felt more at ease that day wandering the shops with Diane than with Shannon and Claire.

She wanted to have taken that doll home on the Monday afternoon, told her mother about the project, and have her show her different things that she always thought she would learn from her. She should have learnt how to take care of a baby, not just a sick mother.

She wanted to tell her how kind Margo and Christian had been in taking her in. She wanted to tell her how concerned everyone at school had been for her. She wanted to tell her all about the End of Summer thing that she had always come home madly chatting about for years. She wanted to tell her that Sam was coming home after all this time.

But most of all, she wanted to tell her about Jack. She wanted to tell her about the night in the park, about their fake kiss followed by the real kiss, how he had asked her to the dance, how he had held her in his arms at night, how he had been the first one at her side when she needed someone. Diane had always said that her and Jack would be something special one day. She had always suspected that her daughter cared for him more than friendship, and Kate wanted to tell her how right she had been.

But she couldn't.

Because she wasn't here.

She was never going to be here again.

She went over to the shower, turning it off. The water wasn't soothing her, so there was no point wasting it.

She had been warned that keeping everything inside would mean that eventually her emotions would overflow and explode out of her. She hadn't thought it would apply to her. It wasn't that she was keeping her emotions locked away, it was more that she was trying her best to be happy. She was carrying on with her life as best as she could, like Diane had told her to. So she still went out at weekends with her friends, she went to the movies, went bowling, and went shopping. She ate all her meals, she kept her healthy diet, and still exercised. It was like people expected her to become withdrawn from everything and everyone, not eating, not sleeping, not socialising. She could understand how most people would react like that, but her mind worked differently.

She hadn't ignored what had happened, she had just put everything else before it, and now it was working its way back up to the top.

She was finally coming to realise that her mother wasn't going to be there on all those days that she thought she might be. Diane had survived with the help of treatments for so long, that Kate began to take them for granted. She knew, in the back of her mind, that eventually, they wouldn't be able to help her, but when she only became seriously ill every few months, all the time between seemed like nothing was wrong. Or maybe it was always wrong, and she had never picked up on it.

Diane was never going to be there on the night of her prom. She wouldn't be there when she graduated, or when she went to the dance next week even. She was never going to be there when Kate moved in with someone, got married, had children, had grandchildren. She wasn't ever going to meet her grandchildren. In fact, when she had died, Kate was still insisting that she was never going to have children. Now, she was planning to move in with Jack at the end of the school year when he headed off to college.

So much had changed in the past month, that she didn't feel like the daughter her mother had known anymore.

She leaned her elbows on her knees, and placed her head in her hands, letting out a deep sigh. The sound of the shower running reminded her of the rain, and its constant rhythm helped to relax her a little, but it didn't do anything for what was going on in her head. She needed a release. She needed something to stop it all. She needed her Mom back.

An overwhelming grief knotted in her stomach, and pulled at the heart that was as confused as she was. Luckily, she was already in the bathroom, so when the bile rose in her throat, she merely turned to kneel on the floor, re-lifting the lid on the toilet. Throwing up brought back the memories of the day that her mother had died.

_She had woken up that morning the the sound of a knock at the front door. She checked the clock as she sat up. It was only 6.15 in the morning, long before she would have usually woken up. It was also too early in the morning for Wayne to be back from the bar, especially on the weekend. Her mother was in the hospice, so who else could have been at the door this early?_

_As she walked through the house, she looked around her, ashamed. The house had become a bomb-site since Diane had gone into the hospice. Kate tried her best to clear the house up when she could, but Wayne always trashed it up again. When she had opened the door, she came face to face with Fiona, a woman she knew well. A woman who was her mother's nurse at the hospice._

_As soon as she saw her, without her usual bright smile that she had for Kate, she knew. She knew, but she also didn't want to know. She wasn't ready. _

_"Hello, Katherine." She said with a smile. _

_"Hi." She had replied, still quiet from tiredness._

_"Can I come in?"_

_Kate nodded, and stood back to let Fiona into the room. She sat down on the couch, and beckoning to Kate to sit next to her, and she did, cautiously looking around her, even though Fiona didn't notice the mess. Neither did Kate, she just wanted something to distract herself, something stall her from what she knew she was about her hear._

_"I'm sorry, Katherine," She began, and the butterflies that had been zooming around Kate's body slammed heavily down into her stomach. "Your mother passed away during the night."_

_First of all, Kate could say nothing. No tears came, no words, no sobs. She was surprised that first of those, came the words. "Bu-but...she looked all right yesterday." She said weakly, knowing that the sobs would come soon because of the lump in her throat._

_"She was very ill, sweetie, you know that." Fiona reminded her._

_"But she looked better yesterday." Kate insisted. "She said that she felt better." She had even said that she thought that the hospice would allow her to come home soon, becuase she was getting better._

_"Diane looked better, true enough," Fiona agreed, "But she had been deteriorating for a long time. We were surprised that the treatments kept her alive for this long."_

_It just didn't make sense. Yesterday, before she had come home to go to bed, Kate had sat at Diane's beside watching television in her room with her. They'd been laughing, and having fun, like normal._

_"Was she- she wasn't on her own, was she?" Kate asked, looking at Fiona desperately. She couldn't stand the thought that her mother had died on her own. "Mom didn't di- go alone?" She couldn't say the word._

_Fiona shook her head. "No, I was with her. She said to tell you goodbye, and that she loved you."_

_"I said I'd be with her." Kate murmered, remembering the promise she had made to her mother not three weeks ago. _

_"She didn't want you to see her like that." Fiona told her. "She knew that last night would have been her last, thats why she did everything she could with you last night. She didn't want to spoil the last memory youhad of her laughing and joking by you having to watch her pass away. She wanted you to remember the good times."_

_She wished she had known that it would have been the last day. She would have kissed her another time, hugged her for longer, told her how much she had loved her again and again. She hadn't even looked back out of the room as she left. She took for granted that she would have seen her one final time. _

_Fiona looked at her tenderly. "You've had a terrible shock, sweetheart, is your father home?"_

_Kate looked at her. No, Wayne wasn't home. He was probably passed out underneath a bar table somewhere. "No, he's out visiting a friend." She lied._

_"Is there anyone else I can call for you, someone who will come and sit with you?" _

_Her immediate thought went to Jack. Not the family who lived in the next town, but her best friend. She shook her head though. "No, I'm okay." She nodded, and stood up. Her knees failed her however, and her just sat on the ground before the couch, crying. _

_It started out as a small amount of pain, but it grew and grew until she was choking on it. Diane was gone. The first wave of tears came because she had been left alone. Her mother was gone, and she was all alone. The next tears came because there was so many things that hadn't been said, and the final tears had come because Diane had been alone when she had gone, whilst Kate was upstairs sleeping innocently._

_She wasn't aware of saying goodbye to Fiona, but she remembered it vaugely, closing the door after her, and then heading back upstairs to her room, where she sat on her bed, and after a long time, she called him. _

_She called Jack._

As tears pricked the corners of her eyes, she drew in a shaky breath, biting her lip to stop herself from crying. She swallowed the lump in her throat, and looked down at her hands, not quite sure what she expected to see on them. As she raised her hands, the sleeves on her gypsy style top slipped down her forearms, landing at her elbows, and her wrist caught her attention. She started at the two identical lines, symmetrical shapes that were nothing more than pink scars now.

She traced them with her finger, remembering the comforting pain that had come with the marks. Sure, it had bled, but with that blood came the release that she needed. She had managed the pain, and when she found it unable to cope with what was going on around her, she fell back into control with the appearance of those two scars. Twin scars. One for the loss of her mother. One for the fear of the future.

She could do it again, she thought, as her eyes fell upon the razors in the cup on the sink. One Jack's, one his father's. It was within her reach. She could even end it all...

She took a razor from the cup, she didn't know whose it was, and held it precariously, studying it for a moment. How easy it would be to press it against her skin and end everything terrified her, but it also intriuged her, showing her how much control she really had. She looked between the blade and the two scars that were already there. She was no stranger to pain, she knew she would go through it again. Maybe it would be easier to put up with knowing that it would be the last time she would feel pain.

As her weakness increased, the blade fell nearer and nearer to her wrist. She bit her lip as she closed her eyes, and was about to touch it against her skin when someone knocked on the door.

"Kate?"

It was Jack. She gasped at the shock, and dropped the blade on the floor.

"Kate, are you in there still? You've been up here for an hour. Is everything okay?"

She silent placed the blade back in the cup, flushed the toilet, and went over to the door. She opened it, coming face to face with Jack, who looked at her worriedly.

"Oh my God, Kate what's wrong?" He asked her, his hands coming to rest on her upper arms gently.

She bit her lip. "I got sick." She told him weakly, looking over at the toilet where the lid was still up.

He looked over her shoulder, and then back at her face. Her pale skin was covered in dried tears, but that didn't surprise him. He had seen her get sick before, and she had cried when she did. She hated being sick. What made him nervous, however, was the haunted look in her eyes. It was so scary to see such weakness, such pain, in her lovely eyes, that he wondered whether this was really Kate infront of him.

He put his arm around her shoulder, leading her out of the bathroom. "Come on, let's get you some water." He said.

Kate allowed herself to be lead away, not looking at Jack incase everything suddenly spilled out of her mouth.

Did he have any idea that he might have just saved her life?

* * *

Next chapter: Kate tells Jack.  
Coming up: Georgia goes back in the box...Kate leaves with Sam, but before or after feelings are revealed?...Time to get the dancing shoes on! I promise you a dance within the next five chapters! I promise a thousand times - Jater promise!  
In fact, everyone wants to see the dance so much, that I'm starting to get worried that you're all going to think it's terrible. Okay my fantastic four - I'm going to need a lot of proof reading on this one for the amount of times I'll most likely re-write it. 


	27. I'll Beg If I Have To

Later on that night, Kate put Georgia down on the makeshift bed, and looked down at her. She was about to admit that she looked peaceful, before she reminded herself that the doll had only one facial expression, so she always looked peaceful.

Since earlier on, she hadn't mentioned a word of what had really gone on in the bathroom, but she knew that she needed to. After all, Jack had begged her to go to him rather than hurting herself.

"So, tomorrow's the big day." Jack said as he removed his shirt, placing another t-shirt over his head.

Kate, who had already changed into sweatpants and a t-shirt, looked over her shoulder at him. "Big day? It's friday, Jack."

"Well, we don't have too many of those in a week." He said, earning a smirk from Kate. "You know what I mean." He said. "Tomorrow we put Georgia back in the box."

Back in the box? Ah. Tomorrow was the day that they no longer had to take care of the doll. "I think it's a bad example." She murmered.

"I thought that this was meant to open our eyes, be a good experience for us." He said, gathering up the clothes around him.

"What? Looking after a baby, then making us turn off the switch, put the baby into a box...then putting that box into a bigger box..."

Jack looked up at her from across the room. She was looking down at the doll with her back turned to him. "I know." He murmered, seeing how this was simulating death for her. Something she didn't need reminding of.

"...It's like we're pulling the plug and burying them." She contined with a frown.

"Kate..."

She wiped underneath her eyes, which had become wet. "I miss her so much, Jack."

At the mention of her mother, he went up behind her, abandoning the clothes her was going to put in the washing basket, and putting his arms around her. She immediately turned in his arms and hid her face in his shoulder, hiding it from him.

"I know you miss her." He whispered to her.

"I want her back." She whimpered.

"Katie-"

"I don't care if it means that I have to live with Dad again, I just want Mom back."

She finally collapsed into tears, and Jack held her tightly against her. He moved her gently, rocking her as she cried, and rubbed her back to soothe her. "It's okay," He whispered to her. "Just get it all out." He had been wondering whether all of her emotions would eventually catch up with her.

"I need her here." She cried. "I can't do this without her."

"Don't worry, you're doing fine." Jack assured her.

"She said she'd always be with me." She sobbed, not giving any sign as to whether she had heard Jack or not. "Even when she knew that she wouldn't be, she told me that I'd always be able to feel her around me, and that she'd never really be gone. But she is gone. She's gone, and she's not coming back." She stopped for a minute as she choked out a sob, and took a deep breath. "Why couldn't it have been me?"

Jack shook his head. "Kate, no-"

"If Wayne had just hit my one bit harder that time-"

What time? When had Wayne hit her? Jack wondered. "Please, don't think like that." He whispered, starting to get tears in his own eyes.

"Or the other week, I could have just pressed a bit harder-"

"No-" He said, his voice firmer this time.

"It would have been over. It wouldn't hurt anymore."

"Katie, please!" Jack cried out, causing her to stop. He pulled away from her a little and held her so that he could look into her eyes. "Please, don't say those things, you don't mean them!" He told her.

"I don't want to hurt anymore, Jack." She told him. "I can't take it! It's too much!" More tears spilled down her cheeks.

"The hurt will stop, Kate, I promise you." He tried to convince her.

"I need it to stop now." She said impatiently. "Before..."

She stopped, and Jack frowned. "Before what?" She didn't answer him, and she looked at the ground, letting out a weak sob. "Before what, Kate?"

"Before I end up following her!" She snapped back, letting out noisy sob again.

She hung her head, letting the tears drip from her chin to the carpet between them whilst Jack stood there, looking at her, a stunned expression on her face. "Kate, I couldn't-"

"I almost did it again, Jack." She burst out, cutting him off. He looked at her, confused. "That night you came to my house, you saw the marks on my wrists." She reminded him.

A flash of recognition crossed his face. "Kate, did you do it again?" He asked her seriously, a pleading look on his face.

"I say there for ages." She told him. "And it was right in front of me, the blade. And just sitting there, knowing that there was so little effort to go through with it, to end it all, it scared me, Jack. It scared me how easy it would be. It scared me that I knew that I could do it, and it scared me even more that I wanted to." She admitted, spilling her heart out before she hung her head with tears again.

Jack shook his head. "Kate, please, I'm begging you here, don't do that. For the love of God, please, don't take your life away."

"It would be easier." She mumbled.

Jack reached forward, taking her chin gently in his hand and raising it so that he could see her face.

"It would have been a living hell, Katie." He told her, a shaky voice that showed her he was near to crying as well. "If I had opened that door and seen you lying on the floor like that..." He choked up on the thought. "I just don't know what I would have done. I don't know whether I would have screamed and cried, or whether I'd be too scared and upset to make a sound. I don't know whether I would have been rooted to the spot, or whether I would be beside you in an instant. I don't know if time would have sped up or slowed down. I don't know what I woudl have done without you." He admitted. "But I do know I would have lost a part of myself, a part that would have died and never come back again. I would have wanted to pick up the blade and done the same thing just so that I could see you again. I would have been haunted by everything that we knew together, and that's everything thats around me." A tear slipped down his cheek, settling and hovering near his chin. "I would have died inside the minute that I knew you were gone. Please, Kate...I know that you miss your Mom, and I know that things were getting too much, but please, I'll get on my knees and beg if I have to, just...don't take away the one thing in my life that I couldn't be without."

Kate let out another sob, leaning into the touch of his hand against her cheek. He understood everything. Everything he had just said mirrored her feelings earlier. She was haunted by everything she did with her mother, which was nearly everything, and something inside her had died when she knew that her mother was dead. It helped that she knew that he understood it, but it killed her even more to know that she had just put him through what she did.

"Jack..." She whispered, her voice worn and weak from her crying. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay." He whispered. "I understand."

She shook her head. "I was being selfish." She realised.

He, too, shook his head, his hand still caressing her cheek. "You're allowed to break down. We all have our moments, and we all have our ways."

"I'm sorry that I wanted to do it." She said, so weak that it was more of a whimper.

"So am I." He nodded. "But it's going to be okay." He assured her. "I promise you, everything's going to be all right, it just needs time. I'm going to help you, Kate, but you have to let me help you before it gets too much like this."

She looked at him, and for a moment, her emotions flodded her. The way he was looking at her, the concern in his eyes, the touch of his hand upon her skin, the distance between them, it was all too much for her. Shannon's voice echoed in her mind: _'Why are you confused, why not just jump him?' _Shannon was right, she realised, as she found that standing so close to him was having a bizaare effect on her that she had never felt around him before.

She leaned forward ever so quickly, before either of them could realise what had happened, she was kissing him, and he was kissing her back. The kiss was needy, desperate even, unlike their previous kiss, which was slow and passionate. This was filled with lust, and grew even more passionate as without thinking about it, they found themselves collapsing onto Jack's bed.

Neither of them stopped to think before continuing to kiss. Jack rested atop of Kate, his body hovering over hers whilst she wound both her arms and legs around him. His hand was at her hip, caressing the bare skin that was revealed there, and she let out a moan against his mouth, whispering his name in a sultry manner between kisses.

It wasn't until her hands began to remove his shirt that he realised what was happening. He quickly pulled away from the kiss that he had all too willingly dived into. His body was already starting to respond to her touches, her kisses, her caresses...it wasn't supposed to be this way.

She went to pull him back into a kiss, but he shook his head. "No, Kate, we can't." He told her, whispering harshly because of the need for breath combined with the protests his body was making from stopping.

Kate's lips went to his neck, kissing and caressing the skin. "Yes, we can." She said, as if proving how easy it were.

"No, we can't." He insisted again, even though every muscle in his body was denying that thought.

"Why not?" She asked him, still working on his neck.

He sucked in a breath as her hands grazed across his stomach, underneath his shirt. Stopping her, he cupped her face in his hands and focused her attention away from his body.

"Because I won't take advantage of you." He told her.

She gave him a lusty grin, and smirked. "You won't be taking advantage of me." She assured him, in a voice that wasn't her own.

"You don't want this, Kate, not now." He said, still holding her face.

"I need you, Jack." She whispered.

"But not like this." He finished for her. "You're upset, you're emotional, I won't hurt you like this." He said, shaking his head, trying to move off of her, but she tightened her arms around his neck.

"You won't hurt me." She assured him.

"Do you really think that in the morning, you'll wake up, and not feel an inch of regret?" He challenged. She started at him for a moment, the lust leaving her eyes, and he felt the grip on her arms loosen slightly as she began to come to her senses. "Kate, I care about you, and if we go this far, I don't want you to regret it. I'll only go ahead with it if I know that you're one hundred percent ready, and aren't going to regret it the next morning."

Kate started to breath again, and she closed her eyes tightly thinking it over. What was she doing? She was going to ruin everything.

She started to speak, but at that moment, Georgia started to cry.

"I should-" She started, but Jack shook his head.

"No, you get into bed." He assured her in a tone that suggested nothing had just happened between them. "I'll do it, you need your rest."

As he climbed off of her, she shivered, but not from the cold. Things had just come very close to being either very good, or very bad, and she suspected it would be the latter. As he had told her, she clambered underneath the bed covers, sitting with her legs drawn up as she watched him settling the doll. She still felt a warmth running through her with what had just happened, and she had felt his body responding as well.

"You're mad at me." She stated, looking at him.

He put the now-settled doll back into the bed, and turned to face her with a sigh. "I'm not mad at you, Kate, I just hate what you're doing to yourself." He said.

"And what's that?" She asked him.

"Punishing yourself for what happened to your Mom."

She looked down, avoiding his eyes. "I can't help it." She admitted.

"There are other ways to grieve." He reminded her, as he came over and got into the bed beside her.

"I know...I just...can't help it." She repeated.

He lay on his side, facing her as she did the same. "You're not alone, Katie, not when there are still people who love you." It was the same thing he had told her last time he knew she was hurting herself.

She bit her lip. "You know, I never thought I'd say this, but...thank you, for rejecting me." She said softly.

Jack gave her a reassuring smile, and held out his arms to her, a sign that all was forgiven. She edged forward into them, and placed her head against his chest. "It's not that I don't want you, Kate. I do, and I'm pretty sure something made that pretty clear a second ago." He felt her smirk against him, and he let out a gentle laugh himself. "I'm just not going to take advantage of you when you're upset."

"Thanks, Jack." She murmered against him. "Night night." She said like a sleepy child.

He kissed the top of her head. "Night, Katie bug."


	28. Just Like In The Movies

**Hiya everyone! Thanks for being patient with the updates! I'm currently planning out the chapters spanning over the dance...I've actually got around to it. There's this chapter ... then the following chapter...and then we're into dance territory for a while. Expected deviance, humour and...wedded bliss?**

**P.S - Laura - Sorry for posting this up when you aren't here, but I just couldn't wait any longer!  
Sam  
Xxxx

* * *

Chapter 28: **

Finally, the friday morning came, and after break, they all trudged into their science lesson with a strange hope.

"Finally!" Ana-Lucia sighed with relief when she slumped into her chair.

Shannon eyed the empty seat next to her. "Where's Sawyer?" She asked.

"He's bunking." Charlie informed them. "Something about wanting to get away from that doll sooner rather than later." He pointed at the doll that Sawyer had kindly nicknamed 'Beelzebub' for the week.

"At least the bugger behaved for him." Ana complained.

"He's got a way with kids - even fake ones." Claire said, almost jealously.

"I've got to admit." Shannon said. "Despite all the screaming, and having to change a diaper every six seconds, I'm going to miss this kid."

There were a few nods of agreement, and as Dr Arzt came into the classroom, carrying his giant cardboard box again, Jack leaned over to Kate. He remembered what she had said about putting it back in the box remining her of death, and he didn't want to see her in the state he had last night.

"Are you okay?" He asked her in a whisper.

She turned to him, and gave him a soft smile, but still shook her head. "No, but I'll live." She said, regaining the confidence that had deserted her the previous evening.

Jack was about to say something else, when Arzt spoke loudly over him. Instead he just dropped his hand beneath the table and took Kate's in his. He watched the tiny smile form on her lips, one of comfort, and smiled himself, knowing that he was helping a little.

"Okay." Arzt began. "First of all, I'm glad that your dolls have all made it back safely today. Dean, I'm not sure the body paint was needed..." The class sniggered at Dean's attempt to make his baby support his football team. "...but otherwise, well done for that. Now, we're going to start by reading the computer chips inside to determine your grades, and then we're going to write an analysis of what we've learnt through this experience."

At the word 'analysis', most of the class began to see why Sawyer had scarpered, and were looking longingly at the window as if it were easy enough to join him. He demonstrated on a doll from the front of the class where the hidden battery panal was.

"Oh! So that's where it is!" Shannon said to herself.

Arzt showed them what the computer chip inside looked like, and how to remove it without damaging it or the doll. Then he preceeded to go around the class and get a reading from the chips.

"Right...Ana-Lucia and James...where is James?" He asked, finally realising that Sawyer wasn't there.

"Dying, hopefully." Ana muttered bitterly, staring at the now chip-less doll that she had been abandoned with.

Arzt paid no attention to what she had said and smiled. "That's the kind of teamwork we like to see. Now, let's what you've got." He waited a few seconds for the meter to read up and then... "83" He announced.

"Is that good or bad?" Ana asked tiredly.

"Anything over 80 is a pass, so congratulations, you've passed."

It turns out that the whole class had passed, with Ana and Sawyer being closest to fail with 3 points above. Charlie and Claire had 93. Shannon and Sayid got 91. Hurley and Libby got 90. Tom and Lucy got 89. But the tables turned when they got round to Jack and Kate.

"98"

"What?"

"What?"

Jack and Kate's head whipped up to face Arzt. The rest of the class also looked in their direction.

"_What_?"

"98." Arzt repeated.

"Is that even possible?" Sayid asked.

"It is now. Congratulations you two, you've set a school record." Arzt told them, before moving on to the next couple.

Jack and Kate sat there gaping at the empty doll before them. 98...was that right? Couldn't have been, surely. They hadn't done that well. They had made mistakes.

"Whoa." Kate muttered simply.

Jack gave her a smile. "See, I told you we'd do it."

"Yeah, and I believed you." Kate said. "I just didn't believe that we could have done it so well."

"Well, if that isn't a comforting insight for future life, I don't know what is." Jack nodded, still staring at the doll.

"Uh huh." Kate nodded, equally transfixed. "So...at least we can tell your Dad that we got the A's."

* * *

At lunch, there was something of a celebration. The others collected their lunch and then went over to the table where Jack and Kate were already sat at one end, huddled together in what looked like a very private conversation in whispers and hushed tones, but no one else noticed. They were all too busy 'being free of parental responsibilities and having thier lives back'. 

"Goodbye responsbility!" Shannon said.

"Hello freedom!" Claire finished as the pair sat down along from the pair.

Libby sat down opposite them. "So, what are you guys all doing on your first responsibility-free night?" She asked them.

"Absolutely nothing." Shannon said dreamily. "Movies and chocolate."

Claire cleared her throat, nudging her head towards Jack and Kate who were back in their conversation and clearly not listening to them. "Well, I seem to recall a certain bet with said people that you lost us." She pointed out to Shannon.

"Was this the 'no plotting' bet?" Charlie asked them, taking seats with Sayid opposite their girlfriends.

"You never know, we might even get a logical conversation out of them for once." Sayid pointed out to Charlie.

"I'm even up for listening about shoes." He agreed.

Sayid, however, shook his head, a glum expression on his face. "You wouldn't last ten minutes." He said, clapping Charlie on the shoulder.

"We need to get them together." Shannon whispered loudly to the others, nodding her head at Jack and Kate, who were still not paying attention to anything that was said. "It's driving me insane."

"Here we go again." Charlie and Sayid said in unison.

"I have an idea!" Claire said. "Why don't we go to the movies tonight?"

Of course, the movies - a breeding ground in itself for romances. With a large group, mainly consisting of couples, Jack and Kate would surely be forced together, right?

"We can go see that new one that came out last week." Libby suggested.

"What one?" Sayid asked, not wanting to have to sit through another chick flick just because the girls 'felt like it'.

"The one the girls all wanted to see, and we insisted we were too manly to sit through until we saw the explosions in it." Charlie reminded him.

"Oh." Sayid said, and then nodded. "Yeah, I'm in."

There were more nods, and all the guys were sold at the mention of explosions, so they turned to Jack and Kate, who were still not paying attention.

"Guys, you up for it?" Shannon asked them.

"Up for what?" They asked at the same time.

"Going to the movies later on."

They looked at each other, and then simply shrugged. They didn't have any plans, and hadn't been out for a while. "Sure, why not." Jack answered for them.

The others went back to their hushed plans, and Jack and Kate continued talking without them.

"You do realise that this is just an attempt to set us up, right?" Kate checked.

Jack nodded. "We'll just have to play around with them, won't we?"

* * *

The movie wasn't half bad, but neither Jack nor Kate could concentrate on it when they were aware of the others watching them. It was like being in a zoo, only they weren't having peanuts thrown at them, even though Sawyer set loose a few bits of popcorn on them every now and again. 

They sat side by side, with Charlie and Claire sitting on Kate's right, and Shannon and Sayid on Jack's left, and Hurley and Libby, and Sawyer and Ana on either side of them. Effectively, they were surrounded by the couples. Charlie and Claire were sat cutely together, as were Shannon and Sayid, who stole a kiss every now and again. Hurley and Libby were innocently watching the movie, and Sawyer and Ana were sitting in the edge of their seats, trying to get as far away from each other as possible, but ten minutes into the movie, they were seen making out.

Halfway through the film, when all of them burst out laughing from the movie, Jack took the opportunity to slide his arm around Kate's shoulders, settling it on the back of the seat. Still laughing from the joke, she leaned her head down on his shoulder, and he rested his head on top of hers. Shannon and Claire's eyes met over the top of their heads, wide-eyed and excited.

Jack wished that he could have kissed her again. He liked to see her enjoying himself after her breakdown last night, and seeing her smiling again was leaving his heart hammering in his throat, and it was taking all of his self-control not to lift her chin and kiss her. Just when he thought the temptation was too much to bear, he realised that the movie was ending, and the hero was just about to get the girl.

"Hey, Jack..." Charlie muttered into the silence. Jack lifted his head from Kate's and looked over at him. "Hadn't you better be taking notes?" He said, notioning to the romantic scene on the screen.

Jack shook his head tiredly, and returned to leaning against Kate, who was transfixed by the screen. She liked this film a lot, maybe he should have been taking notes.

Afterwards, when they were leaving the cinema, she still had her head rested on his shoulder as they walked out.

"You okay?" He asked her.

"Yeah, I'm great." She told him with a tired smile. "I'm just so tired." She added with a yawn.

Jack checked his watch. They had gone for pizza first and then caught the late movie. "Probably because it's nearly midnight." He pointed out.

"That would be it." She agreed.

Shannon called out to them all as they got away from the mass of people leaving the cinema. "Hey, you guys up for coming back to mine?" She asked.

Claire looked at her curiously. "Won't your step-mom freak?" She checked.

Shannon shook her head. "Dad and Sabrina have gone away for the weekend...just me and Boone in the house."

Boone was two years older than Shannon, and was visiting back from college at the moment, but he was still a snitch when it came to Sabrina. He was, as he put it, 'tired of sticking up for Shannon's mistakes'.

"Which means, Boone will grass you up for whatever you do wrong." Sayid reminded her.

Shannon thought about this for a moment, wondering whether it was worth the risk, but didn't want her store cards cut up again, and so brightly said: "Okay, change of location!"

"We can go back to mine." Libby suggested. "My parents are out of town, and they've taken my brother with them."

"Sounds good!"

"Actually," Jack cut in. "We're going to head home."

They all looked at the pair: Kate with her head on his shoulder tiredly, and Jack with his arm around her waist, his hand settled on her hip, and a few wolf-whistles erupted.

"Dude, someone's getting laid tonight." Hurley said.

Jack rolled his eyes. "I'm _not_ getting laid."

Sawyer lifted his head and sniffed. "Do you smell that?"

"What?"

"Is that horse...no..." He said. "Pig...no...no, that's defiantely bullshit."

The others laughed and Kate rolled her eyes. "Very funny, Sawyer." She said sarcastically.

"I'm surprised you ain't got flies coming out of your mouth the amount of crap you're talking." He said to Jack.

Jack shrugged. "What's it to you if I'm getting laid?" He asked innocently.

"So you are." Sawyer said, pointing at him.

"I never said that."

"You never said that you weren't either."

"Yes I did."

"Oh yeah? When?"

"About thirty seconds ago." Jack said, and Sawyer's face fell when he lost the argument. If there was one thing that he hated, it was being proved wrong by Jack.

Claire shook her head. "Well, you huys go home, and have fun doing whatever it is you're doing, and we'll talk tomorrow." She said.

They said their goodbyes, and turned back along the sidewalk, heading in the direction of Jack's house.

"Can you believe those guys?" He asked her once they were out of earshot.

Kate yawned again. "They're just bored." She said.

"Well, we won the bet." He reminded her. "They have to stop plotting now."

"Fantastic." Kate murmered, in the same way that she might have replied if he had told her something completely different. God, she was cute when she was tired.

He laughed at the sleepiness in her voice, and noticed her eyes dropping out of the corner of her eye. "Come on, sleeping beauty, let's get you in bed." He said, leading her out of the town center.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were taking advantage of my tiredness to get me into your bed." She mumbled, a smile playing on her lips.

"I am." He confirmed. "But not for the reasons that the others were suggesting."

She smiled again, and they passed the time with small talk about the movie until they got back to Jack's house. He quietly let them in, so not to wake his parents, as his father had an early shift the next morning, and led her upstairs. Once changed, they got into bed, and, on impulse, Kate curled up to him.

"Night, Katie." He told her.

"Hmm...night night..." She mumbled, on the verge of sleep. "...Love you..." She muttered, and let out a sigh that followed her into sleep several seconds later.

Jack lay there in shock of what she had just said. Sure, she was tired, and hadn't realised what she had just said, but the words had come out anyway. Half asleep: the one state that Kate couldn't lie in. Love. Love. Love you. The words pounded into his head, and then, finally, he reacted.

He kissed the top of her head, and whispered back. "Love you, too." But she was already asleep, and hadn't heard him.

She was leaving in two days. He had to tell her before she left.


	29. Working A Special Magic

**Okay guys...here it is...the chapter you've all been waiting for! Not quite the dance, but that's next chapter...or rather, it's preparations are the next chapter. Well, this is the chapter that Laura's been waiting for anyhow. Someone asked me recently if this fic will be ending soon...I can safely say that NO it won't. Remember the conversation about Jack and Kate moving in together? Well...that's going to be the rough ending. There's a lot of this to go yet, and then possibly a sequal (gotta run that idea for it passed you later Laura! - might have already!)  
Sam  
xxx  
p.s...the kiss in this chapter is a new level of pride for me...I'm very pleased with it...I hope you like it!

* * *

**

Jack's decision to tell Kate that he loved her didn't go as planned. He thought at first that he would tell her Saturday morning, while they were watching movies, something they'd been doing all week. Every time he tried to say it, though, his mouth just wouldn't obey him, and he ended up saying something like "can you pass the popcorn?" instead. Next, he tried to tell her Saturday night, after dinner, while they were having fun with a bubble fight after doing the washing up together, but instead he had said "can you pass the cloth?" to her.

So now, it had come to Sunday morning, all previous opportunities having flown out of the window, and they were all standing on the frown lawn of his house. Jack and Kate stood away from their parents, who were standing talking to each other, Sam thanking Margo and Christian for all their help with Kate while he was away, and the two teenagers stood facing each other.

"So...I guess this is goodbye." Kate said, breaking the silence that had fallen upon them, and for once, it wasn't a comfortable silence that they shared. "Well, until tomorrow morning." She added with a smile.

Jack smiled, shaking his head. "Come here, you." He said, and opened his arms. She walked into his open arms, and he wrapped them around her, holding her close, and noticing the size difference between them. There was a time, when they were children, that they were the same height, and they would have competitions to see who grew the fastest that year, but now, she came up to his shoulder. "I'm going to miss you so much." He told her.

"Yeah, I'm gonna miss me too." She joked, and laughed against him. "I'm kidding. It's been great staying with you the past few weeks." She smiled up at him, still with his arms around her, but backing up a bit so that they could talk without Kate's voice being muffled by his shoulder.

"Anytime." He smiled back.

"Thank you." She added quietly, her expression becoming more serious.

"You don't need to thank me, Kate." He told her for the millionth time. She had tried to thank him countlessly since the other night, and he still wasn't letting her get away with it.

"Yes I do." She insisted for the equally millionth time. "You were there." She reminded him. "When I was at rock bottom, you were there, and you picked me up, and made me myself again."

"I wasn't going to sit and watch you torture yourself. Not when I could do something about it." He said, shaking his head.

"Thanks anyway." She smiled at him.

"Promise me something?" He asked her.

"What's that?" She asked back.

"Promise me that you're not going to do it again." He saw the nervous look flash before her eyes at the thought of being that low again after she had been on an emotional high for the past two days. "I'm not going to be there all the time now, but if you need me for anything, _anything_, just call me, come round, I'll be here." She gave him a smile of thanks. "Promise me."

"I promise." She nodded.

"Swear?"

"I swear." She said seriously.

"Forever and ever."

The look of concern in his eyes for her definitely made her feel wanted, and his concern alone was enough for Kate to not consider hurting herself again. "Jack, I'm okay now." She assured him. "But yes, forever and ever."

"Good." He nodded, finally loosing his serious expression and giving her a smile. "I can't keep on being afraid to lose you."

He was really scared of losing her - she had realised that the other night when he had broken down as well. The tears in his eyes as he begged her released a fear inside of her that she didn't know she had - a fear for him. What would he have done if she had gone through with it? He had said that he might have done the same thing, but she couldn't bear the thought that he might do that too. So hearing his fear, she smiled and said the only thing she could.

"You're not going to lose me, Jack." She said, a strength coming from her as she tried to make him see that.

"I'm losing you right now." He said solemnly, glancing over at their parents.

Kate followed his gaze, watching the interactions between their parents. They couldn't understand what was being said because of the fact that her and Jack were standing on the other side of the lawn from then, wanting some privacy, even though the nosy neighbours that lived opposite them were twitching at the net curtains. Oh, the many things they had done to see the shocked expressions on the neighbour's faces as children.

She turned back to Jack, matching his expression. "If I could stay, I would." She told him.

"If I could come with you, I would." He replied.

The thought of that - Jack coming to live with her and Sam, had to bring a smile to her lips. Living in the same place with her two favourite guys? But things could never be that easy, as she had learned.

"You can come stay at weekends and stuff, like we usually do." She reminded him, not thinking that 'usually' had become the habit of waking up to see each other only inches away, or feeling the other person's arms around them, or being so close that a kiss would be the only thing that could possibly bring them closer.

"I know." He nodded. "It's just hard knowing that the person I care about most has been sleeping beside me for two weeks, and now I've got to let her go." He admitted.

"I'm only going two blocks away." She pointed out, blushing inwardly as being referred to as the person he cared about most.

"Two blocks too far." He said, and then regained himself. "I'm sorry, I'm being selfish. I just like having you here...with me, you know." He explained.

"I know." She nodded. "I like being here, with you."

She gave him that smile that killed him every time, and he knew that he had to tell her.

"Kate...I-"

"Kate, are you ready to go?" Sam called over, interrupting what Jack was about to say.

He tried not to look too disappointed as Kate looked over at Sam, biting her lip, and then back at Jack...then back to Sam, and back again to Jack. This was it. His chance was almost over. Kate hugged him again for a long time. He held her back, tighter than he had ever done before, knowing that when he let go, she would leave. When she did pull back, she leaned up on her tiptoes, planting a kiss on his cheek, and he felt her breath against his skin as her lips lingered for only a second, but it was a second enough for him.

"Bye Jack." She whispered to him.

Without looking back at him, she turned on her heel and began to walk to the car. Jack watched her go silently, his cheek still burning from her kiss. Was that it? Was he just going to let her walk away from him, without looking back? Every step further she took was another step away from him - away from the two weeks that had been a mixture of pain and pleasure. He had to do it. He had to do it. He had to tell her. He had to. Now. Now. Now...now.

"Kate!" He called out; when her hand was on the car door that Sam was just opening for her.

She turned back, freezing in place as she looked at him. Their eyes connected across the lawn, and she saw that look in his eyes - the same look she had seen that night under the tree in the park - the night that he had told her everything in his heart. Everything...except for one thing...

"I love you, Katie."

He had finally said it, clear enough for her to hear without misunderstanding it, still connecting their gaze as if it were his lifeline.

"I love you." He repeated, if only to hear himself say it again, but it was quieter this time, filled with the relief of having finally said it to her.

Kate stood speechless, her hand on the open car door slipping down to her side. Her jaw dropped a little, before forming into a gentle smile, the simple curve of her lips giving Jack more than enough clarification. She felt a hand on her back, pushing her gently away from the car, and looked back over her shoulder to see Sam looking at her with a smile.

"Go on, honey." He told her. "Go kiss him already."

She smiled at him, broadly, and then bit her lip looking back to Jack, who stood on the lawn, exactly where she had left him only a few seconds ago, waiting for her. Her heart pounded in her chest as she ran back across the lawn, directly at him, and as they collided, he caught her in his arms, their lips meeting instinctively in a clash of passion.

Before their kiss had been filled with shock, surprise, and a need to prove, but now, it was only a mutual need for each other. Everything they had been through together had led them to this moment, this place, this time, together, kissing. At first, they kissed slowly, neither daring to speed it up in case it was brought to an end before due time. They both had clear memories of their previous kiss only a week ago, beneath the starlight, but it was a pitiful remainder in their dreams compared to the passion held in this one.

As soft lips brushed over each other, gently lingering as they pressed together, parting again only to return to their former resting place against the other, a warmth spread through them, and Jack's hands went from wrapping around Kate's back, to holding her up with his arms pressed against her shoulders. In response, Kate's hands, already clasped around his neck to hold herself to him, began to stroke against the back of his neck, in the sensitive area where his hairline faded into soft baby-like strands of the dark hair he had.

It was Jack who deepened the kiss, opening his lips further than usual, and tracing the edge of hers with his hungry tongue, begging for an entrance into her mouth. As she opened her lips with a gentle sigh against him, all other thoughts were thrown aside when she felt his tongue enter her and collide with her own. The sweet comfort that came from each other's touch was all they needed to continue, and their tongues danced, slowly at first, until Kate let out a tiny moan against him, a delightful sound that sent shivers down Jack's spine.

Her tiny noise urged him onwards, and he brought her even closer to him, their bodies pressed up against each other as he tried to close all gaps between them. He deepened the kiss even more, delving further past her lips and hearing her already ragged breaths catching in her chest as he found the sensitive spot that drove her wild.

Eventually, the need for oxygen became too much, and they had to part to allow themselves to breathe again. Keeping as close as possible, Jack rested his forehead on hers, his arms never moving from holding her up against him. He wasn't even aware of the eyes of the neighbours and their parents watching them - all he could think about that made sense to him was that Kate was in his arms again, and that he had just had the best kiss of his life standing out on the front lawn.

"I love you too." She murmured to him, their noses brushing up against each other as her face nuzzled against his to regain the closeness they'd had a moment ago. "I always have."

"My God, I thought he was never going to say it." Christian murmured, unheard by the pair.

Margo nudged his arm gently, watching her son with a gentle smile. "Leave them be, Christian."

Jack smiled. "I guess this changes things a bit." He realised aloud.

Kate nodded against him. "Everyone's been trying to tell us for years...why were we so stubborn?"

"We just didn't want to admit that they were right and we were wrong." He suggested.

Her lips brushed against his cheek as she moved her head slightly, and the rush of adrenaline spread through him again. "They were right." She confirmed. "Very right."

Their lips met again, just as passionate as before, unable to stand the desperation of needing to feel each other again. When they parted, Jack pulled his head back and placed his hand on her cheek, cupping it lovingly.

"God I love you...so much." He told her.

She nodded, looking away for a moment, and then back into the eyes that were looking down on her with such adoration that there was no question now about what her heart wanted.

"I think I know what I want now." She told him, still nodding to herself gently.

"What do you want?" He asked her, knowing that whatever she wanted, he was going to give it to her without question.

"You." She said simply.

He grinned. This is what he had been waiting for, not just since that night they had last weekend, but since he first started to realise that he had different feelings for Kate then he did his other female friends. Of course, at that age, he hadn't exactly envisioned standing on his front lawn holding her so tightly that she might as well be merged into his skin, but it was pretty much the same.

"So, this is official now?" He asked her.

"I guess you could say that." She smiled.

"Oh, I definitely want to say that." He nodded, leaning forward to kiss her again, this time, it didn't deepen, however, as there were still things to talk about.

"Are you completely sure about this?" Kate checked, a hint of nervousness tinting her voice. "I mean, we've been best friends for ten years. Is this going to screw things up between us?" She asked.

"I've never been more sure about anything." He comforted. "I want this. I want you, and I want us to be together."

Hearing him confirm that made her smile again and she leaned her face closer to his. "I think you're the first boy who's ever seen me as more than just a girl without a heart."

"You have a heart." He told her. "I've just been keeping it for myself."

"I love you."

"I love you, Katie." They went to kiss, but she drew back with a soft laugh before their lips could meet. "What?" He asked, a smile playing on his lips when he realised how swollen hers were from kissing.

"Nothing, it just...when you call me Katie...it makes me feel all warm inside." She admitted, her cheeks burning the same colour as her lips.

"Katie, Katie, Katie." He teased, and she laughed again.

"C'mon honey, we should get going." Sam called over, interrupting their moment yet again. Kate looked over at him pleadingly. "Don't give me that look, sweetheart." He told her playfully. "If you'd have done this two weeks ago you would have had all the time in the world to be soppy with each other." Both of them laughed at that.

"I guess I'd better get going." She agreed, as she still had to unpack her things in her bedroom so that she actually had a place to sleep that night. Sam had already been to Wayne's house and gotten the rest of her things, and the other man still hadn't gone home it seemed.

"I guess so." Jack nodded. "Call me later, okay?"

"Okay."

"I'll talk you later, and I'll see you tomorrow." He said, "And I'll kiss you right now."

They kissed again, ignoring the catcalls and teasing wolf-whistles from Jack's next-door-neighbours, a newly-wed couple who were doing the gardening together. When they parted, they kissed chastely again, and again, until they were kissing fully once more. Neither wanted to let go of each other.

Kate finally moved out of his arms, and Jack was glad that she moved first because he didn't think he would ever be able to let her go. Their hands connected, and stayed together as long as they could, all the while he was watching her go, looking at each other with matching smiles on their faces, the stupid grins that told how pleased they were with themselves.

"Bye Jack." She called as she got into the car.

"Bye Katie." He called back, watching her giggle to herself at him calling her 'Katie' again.

He watched sadly as the car drove away, taking Kate with it, but he did have a smile that just couldn't fade, when he turned to go back into the house, his mother caught him, hugging him in the middle of the lawn, and kissing the side of his head.

"I always knew you loved her." Margo said to him.

Christian clapped him on the shoulder. "Way to get your girl, son." He said, almost proudly, which gave Jack an extra curve to his smile. He couldn't remember the last time that his father had been proud of him.

But today was a very good day.

Today was the day that Kate had become his girlfriend.

Running into the kitchen, he checked the date on the calendar. He needed to remember this day. Finding the square, he saw that it was the 22nd of September. He smiled, and then went back into the living room, still grinning like a love-sick fool.

Kate was his girlfriend.

Kate loved him.

Kate was his.

* * *

Awww...I'm almost ashamed of myself for the amount of fluff...but you guys like fluff, right? There will be some more angst in it, but I figured that they've had enough angst for now, and need to enjoy themselves more - especially now that things are official.  
Coming up after the dance:  
Tom has something to say about Jack and Kate's relationship...it's not good...  
Wayne has something to say about Sam taking Kate in...it's not good...  
Jack takes Kate out on a proper date...it's very good...involves the beach and some water action... 


	30. Dressed For Perfection

Jack and Kate kept their new relationship to themselves. Throughout the week, they kissed only in secret, unkeen to have their friends jumping in and influencing the relationship with the marriage plans they had been subjected to for years. Instead, they chose to hide it, and the secrecy only intensified the feelings the had for one another. The brush of a hand against a leg beneath the school desks, or the knowing glances across the room, or even the ever so subtle comments that went unnoticed by the others were all build ups to the stolen kisses behind the corners when they weren't being watched, or the time they had alone where they would just kiss for hours on end.

Friday marked the day of the much-anticipated school dance. All week long, the girls had been filled with excitement over the prospect of getting all dressed up, looking their best, and bagging the guy of thier dreams. For Kate, she didn't care about the dress, or the shoes, or the make up - she just welcomed the night where they could finally make thier relationship public.

They had chosen to surprise the others at the dance by telling them there, or rather, showing them, but it was already getting too much for them. Friday had been a long day, filled with moments that dragged by endlessly until they could meet somewhere for the tiniest of kisses. Even the usual comments about the two of them from Sawyer and the girls only addded to the longing they felt.

They had walked home from school together, at ease where they could be together away from everyone else - the privacy they needed to keep them sane for the moment, and before they went their seperate ways, they shared another of the magical kisses that brought them to thier knees every time.

The dance started at seven o'clock, so Margo turned up at Kate's at five, as planned, to help her get ready. Jack had begged to go with her, but the rule about not seeing the dress until it was on still counted when they were dating.

Near to six o'clock, Kate was sat infront of the mirror that Sam had attached above her desk, whilst Margo stood behind her, releasing her hair from the rollers that were enhancing her natural curls. Already, she had her make up done, with only subtle use of mascara, eyeliner, and some eye shimmer which brought out her eyes to look even more beautiful than usual.

"Thank for helping me with all of this, Margo." Kate said as she watched her reflection in the mirror.

Margo brushed her comment over her head. "No trouble at all, sweetheart. I just wish I could see you dancing later." She said, as if she'd like nothing better to spend the evening at her teenage son's school dance watching him dance with his girlfriend.

Kate smiled, noticing how real her smile seemed with the addition of a touch of lipstick. It didn't even look unnatural on her lips. "No doubt Shannon will take lots of pictures." She said. Shannon already wanted photographic proof of Kate in a dress, and in heels, and dancing with Jack.

"I shouldn't doubt that." Margo agreed, as she took down the last of the rollers and ran her fingers through Kate's hair to comb it through until it all fell into place. "There, that should do it." She announced. "Okay, you go get that dress on of yours, and we'll give Sam the first showing." She said.

Kate slipped off the chair and went over to where the dress was hanging up on the wardrobe door, while Margo quietly left the room, leaving all of the make up and the combs on the empty desk.

Sam was waiting in the kitchen, drinking a coffee which Margo politely turned down moments before. She wasn't one for coffee anymore.

"Thanks for this, Margo." He told her with a smile, nodding his head towards Kate's bedroom door. "I know it's something that Diane would have wanted to do with her, and ...well..." He trailed off, not quiet sure what he wanted to say, but Margo understood him.

"I know." She nodded. "Besides, I never had a little girl of my own to dress up." She added, bringing some light to the conversation. "Kate's always been like a daughter of my own the amount of times she's been round our house."

"The way things are looking she might be your daughter-in-law one day." Sam said laughing, and Margo joined him in the laugh. "At least I can be sure she's with a good guy and not that awful Brennon boy." He nodded. "You should have heard her talking about him the other day." He said to her, remembering how she had told him all that had happened the previous three weeks. "She had that smile on her face, and that look in her eye...he's her whole world."

Margo nodded. "You should have seen them together." She said, thinking back over the past few weeks as well. "He made it his mission to keep her smiling the whole time through."

"It worked." Sam confirmed. "She hasn't stopped smiling since I brought her home. I've seen her smile more in a week then I have in sixteen years." He added sadly. "I guess I've only got myself to blame for that."

She shook her head. "You've got that awful Wayne to blame for that." She corrected. "And I'll have it known that if he got the custody of Kate I would have kept her at my house with us."

Sam smiled at her. "Thank you."

"Like I said, she's almost like my own daughter." She reminded him.

"Okay! I'm done!" Kate called from her bedroom.

"Come on out then." Margo called back, waiting for her to emerge from the door, but it remained closed.

"It feels weird." She admitted.

"Probably because you're not wearing jeans." Margo pointed out.

"Stop stalling, Kate, come out and give us a twirl." Sam joined in.

The door opened, and Kate stepped out of the room. Margo smiled, and Sam looked absolutely amazed at Kate wearing a dress.

No wonder she had thought it was perfect when she first saw it in the shop. It was made entirely of a red silk, a spaghetti strap dress which enhanced her small cleavage, and a diamante pattern around the top of the bustier part. The skirt of the dress was also patterned in the same sparkling gems as the plunge, and ended on a sweeping level, shorter at the front than when it whisked out at the back, so it showed off her matching shoes as well - red with a diamante pattern on the strap.

To complete the diamante theme, she had the ruby and diamond bracelet on that Diane had brought her for her sixteenth birthday, and some diamond style hair slides that kept her hair from falling into her face.

"Katie, you look-" Sam began, but Kate jumped in.

"Horrible?"

"Beautiful." He corrected, smiling proudly at her.

She gave him a genuine smile back. "Thanks dad."

"So...do you think Jack will like it?" She asked. She didn't care whether the world thought it looked terrible, so long as Jack liked it.

"Jack thinks you look beautiful in whatever you wear." Margo pointed out. "But if this doesn't leave him speechless then nothing will."

"It looks okay then?" She asked, turning a little and looking over her shoulder, giving Margo and Sam a show of the very low backline on it. It showed off half of her back, and Sam was half-tempted to say that it was too revealing, but then remembered that Jack was taking her to the dance, and would more than keep a watchful eye on her.

"Why don't we give Jack a call and let him be the judge of that?" Margo suggested.

Kate nodded, and Margo walked over to the phone. Sam went and embraced Kate, and she hugged him back tightly.

"Kate, are you nervous?" He asked playfully.

"No." She answered quickly and unconvincingly.

* * *

Jack turned up at Kate's house shortly after Margo called. Kate went out to meet him, as they were walking to the dance as it was a nice evening. The sun hadn't set yet. He walked up towards her, not yet having seen her whilst sheilding his eyes from the setting sun's bright rays, and when he raised his head to look at her, he froze on the spot.

"Oh my god." He exclaimed, looking at Kate as if he was seeing some holy vision.

"Hey." She said with a smile, realising that it was easier to walk in heels that she would have thought first hand.

"Oh my god."He repeated, placing his hands on her shoulders and leaning back to look her up and down in amazement. "Kate...you look...wow...I...I can't even say it...wow..." He said incoherently.

Kate laughed. "Is this good speechless, or bad speechless?" She asked him, taking note of his wide eyes.

"Good. Definately good." He said, as his eyes spotted the enhanced cleavage the dress had created, and he quickly whipped his eyes up to meet hers. "Katie, you look beautiful." He told her sweetly.

"You don't look too shabby yourself." She said, looking at how handsome he was in the formal tuxedo. Jack was born to wear suits.

"I'm just wearing a suit...you're ... wow..." He said, looking at her another time. "Someone had better get a picture of you tonight." He said aloud.

"Yeah, they will...for blackmail." She said.

"Oh, I have something for you." He remembered and reached into his pocket.

He pulled out a case, and opened it to reveal a necklace. It was on a silver curb chain, thicker than usual to support the weight of the pendant, which was in the shape of a heart. It was made almost entirely with rubies, except for the frame, which was made of real silver.

"Oh my god! Jack!" She exclaimed when she saw it.

He took it from the case, and she held up her hair whilst he placed it around her neck. "This is the present I was getting you when we were in town shopping for the dance." He told her, and she remembered overhearing the conversation about Jack needing the money from mowing the lawn to pay for it. He hadn't realised just how fitting it was with what she was wearing.

"It's beautiful." She said, picking it up to observe it once it was on. "Thank you."

"Not as beautiful as you." He said softly, leaning in to kiss her. The chaste kiss soon turned into more, but it was Kate pulled back.

"Whoa there...I'm wearing make up, and I'd like it to last for a while." She told him cheekily, and he held out his hand to take hers. She placed her hand inside his, and he moved it so that his arm went around her waist, the sleeve of his jacket sliding across the silk on her dress.

She smiled as she caught his eye. They shared another brief kiss before starting to walk down the path towards the school. Something told her this was going to be a night to remember.

* * *

How evil would it be to tell you now that I'm disappearing for a few weeks? ... Only kidding! The dance will be up sooner than you think!


	31. Stop Staring

Chapter 31:

By the time that Jack and Kate arrived at the dance together, many other people were already there, even though it wasn't seven o'clock yet. Halfway there she had started to get antsy, anxious about wearing a dress infront of people who considered her to be more male than Charlie, but it only took Jack telling her that she looked beautiful to ease her aching mind.

Once inside the hall, which looked bigger without its usual cramming of the assembly of students inside it sitting cross-legged on the floor, they were immediately spotted by their friends, who were split into the traditional girls and boys groups of a school dance.

Before either had the chance to object or make a comment on it, Jack and Kate were pulled into the respective groups, and fussed over.

Shannon, Claire, Libby, Sun and Ana-Lucia were gawking at Kate.

"OH...MY...GOD!" Shannon exclaimed.

"What?" Kate asked, actually looking down to see if she had managed to get something dirty on her dress already.

"You look amazing." Claire squealed at her.

"So do you." Kate replied, eyeing the different dresses around her.

Shannon was wearing a short, strapless pink dress. Claire had a pale-blue halterneck which really brought her sapphire eyes out. Libby was wearing a lilac halterneck, with her usually bushy hair straightened out. Sun had a white dress with flowers decorating it, and Ana-Lucia was wearing an black spaghetti strap dress.

"Jack is definately going to ask you out tonight." Shannon said, nodding at the others, who agreed with her. Kate could only smirk at the fact that Jack and her were already together, but hadn't told them. "Especially when he has to be within ten feet of you when you're looking like that." Yes, that probably summed up how he was looking at her earlier.

Thankfully, Claire steered the conversation away from the two of them. "What is it about guys and their girls wearing dresses?" She asked them. "I swear, the way Charlie was looking at me earlier, you'd think that he thought I didn't have legs."

Shannon looked thoughtful. "Well, Sayid sees my legs a lot, so nothing's new to him." She said simply.

Kate rolled her eyes. "Shan, everyone sees your legs a lot." She pointed out. "That's what comes from wearing mini-skirts all the time."

"I like them." Shannon waved off. "Just like you like the attention you're getting from actually showing off a feminine body right now."

"Well..." She replied awkwardly. "I wouldn't say I liked it..."

"You love it." Libby said, seeing right through her.

"Jack's standing over with the guys," Claire said, discreetly looking over Kate's shoulder, "And he won't stop gawking at you!"

"Yup, tonight's the night." Shannon nodded.

Kate let out a tiny laugh. "Well, when you know, you know." She said innocently.

"Oooh!" Claire squealed, saving her from further interrogation. "Punch!"

* * *

Minutes after Jack was pulled over to the rest of the boys, Sawyer turned up with a very smug look over his face. It was the kind of grin that sent fear into a lot of people because it meant that he was up to something. As he approached them, the rest of them looked at him warily.

"What are you up to?" Charlie asked suspiciously, hoping that this time, he wouldn't be the target of Sawyer's crazy plan.

Sawyer feigned innocence, a look that didn't suit his face. "Who says I'm up to anything?" He shrugged.

"That big grin on your face." Charlie said, pointing at it.

Sawyer's smirk increased, and he leaned towards the others, discreetly opening his jacket so that it showed the bottle of Vodka that was not so discreetly hidden inside his jacket pocket.

"Dude..." Hurley murmered.

Jack looked up at Sawyer. "You're not gonna-"

"It's their own fault for not putting alcohol in the damn punch to start with." Sawyer said, cutting him off.

Jack shook his head. "I don't believe it." He made a mental note to stay away from the punch, all...seven bowls of it?

"C'mon, it'll be fun." Sawyer tempted, even though the fact that the bottle was already half-empty showed that he needed no encouragement. The deed was already done.

"What if you get caught?" Sayid asked sensibly.

Sawyer tapped the side of his nose. "They can't trace it back to me."

Sayid looked at him strangely. "Who else would it be?" He asked.

"Okay, you've got me there." He admitted, but shook his head, hiding the bottle again. "Just relax okay...mingle...drink the punch...act sober...Holy Shit!"

"What?" They all asked as his exclamation.

"Damn, that's fine! Who's the new girl with our girls?" He asked, nodding towards the dark haired girl who was standing with the others, who, unfortunately, were all drinking a glass of punch.

The others all followed his gaze. "Who, the one in the red dress?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah," Sawyer said. "Now that is one, sweet-"

"That's Kate." Jack said simply, his eyes not leaving the girl he had brought with him. "Stop staring."

"What?" They all asked, cramming in to get a better look, not believing that it was actually Kate.

Charlie reacted first. "Congratulations, Jack...way to get Kate in a dress."

Sawyer was still looking at Kate's behind, entranced. "If I were you I'd be planning on getting her out of it as soon as possible."

Jack groaned inwardly. Trust Sawyer to say something like that. "Good think you're not me." He said, and then followed Sawyer's eyes to where he was staring, and looked at him horrifically. "And would you stop staring at her ass!" He said protectively.

"But-"

"Stop it!" Jack insisted.

"That's Jack's territory now." Charlie pointed out.

"Just stop staring." He repeated.

"Okay, not staring." Sawyer said, turning around so that he was free of temptation.

"Haven't you got your own date to stare at?" Jack asked exasperatedly.

Sawyer smirked, looking back over his shoulder at Ana, and then looked back with his smug smile having made a return. "Yeah, and I can assure you that I'll get her out of her dress tonight."

Charlie laughed. "Right before she slaps you and calls you a pervert."

"She wants me." Sawyer insisted proudly.

"She wants you to stop perving over her."

Sawyer merely wiggled his eyebrows in response. "We'll see tomorrow."

"Manwhore." Sayid said airly, a sign that spending so much time with Shannon was clearly rubbing off on him.

Sawyer winked back at him. "Anything for my girls."

Sayid laughed in repsonse. "You do realise that none of them are 'your girls', right?" He pointed out.

"Every girl is my girl." He said confidently, earning frowns from the rest of the guys.

"Except Kate, Shannon, Libby and Claire." Jack pointed out.

"Now, the rest of those I can understand, but Freckles is still on the market, if I remember correctly." He teased, looking directly at Jack, who shook his head.

"Drop it, Sawyer." He said.

"Hell, I might as well keep my options open." Sawyer continued, shrugging.

"Kate isn't one of your options." Jack said firmly.

"Oh yeah? Says who?"

"Says me." He said, trying to keep his anger down for Sawyer trying to make a move on his girl. The others eyed him strangely, and you could hear the plans formulating in their heads as they started to realise what was going on, and Jack backtracked, remembering his deal with Kate. "She's my best friend, and friends don't let friends date perverts." He said, possibly the worst excuse of the century.

"Friends, huh?" Sawyer challenged. "Is that what they're calling it these days?"

"Shut up, Sawyer." Jack told him defensively.

"Getting any benefits with that friendship, Jacko?" He continued.

Charlie, Jack, Hurley and Sayid were all quick on the marker this time. "Sawyer, shut up!"

* * *

A/N: Just to let you all know, there's going to be 4 chapters of couple interaction now. The first is Charlie and Claire, the second is Shannon and Sayid, the third is Sawyer and Ana, and our dramatic relationship-revealing fourth is Jack and Kate. 


	32. I Swear

**Okay, this chapter is for all you Charlie and Claire fans that I'm sorry to say I've neglected in this story. I'm sorry! This whole chapter is for you. I know I say there are a lot of ships in this story, and there are, it's just that its primarily Jate, so it is centred around them. I thought the dance is going to be the perfect way to explore all of them though. I'm interested to see what you'll think of the seperate chapters, because I've never really dedicated a whole chapter to any ship other than Jate, so please tell me what you like about it, or just plain out say that it sucks!**

**Laura - come back soon damnit! I need you here! Thanks to Sophie for checking this in the meantime (big hugs your way my dears) **

Chapter 32:

The slow songs stared the evening off, and once the majority of the couples were on the dance floor, requests stared flying towards the DJ from the students. People were running forwards, asking for songs to be played for either themselves or friends. Usually, the groups chose for each other; a tradition that didn't fail to surface on that night. Jack and Kate chose for Charlie and Claire, as they all watched from the sidelines whilst the two danced amongst the other dancers. It was a rule with them that each person danced to a slow song without anyone else in the group dancing - something else that Claire wanted to add to the rulebook she was going to write.

Her and Charlie had been together for years. They didn't quite remember when it had become official, because they were so young. It had started in their first lesson as a whole class, music. Charlie was eyeing up all the guitars that only the older students were allowed to play, and Claire had, in her younger, more adventurous days, double dog dared him to touch one. Needless to say, that Charlie had got the guitar down and tried to play it. That day had given him the love for guitar, and for Claire, who had watched him with wide eyes like he was some kind of God in human form.

They went onto the dancefloor, and saw the others watching them. Blushing, Claire shook her head as she smiled.

"Whats the matter?" Charlie asked, seeing her shaking her head.

He pulled her close to him, taking one of her hands in his, and resting his other on her hip. She placed her free hand on his shoulder. "Those guys." She said, nodding her head towards him, but not facing away from Charlie. "You'd think they had nothing better to do."

"They don't." He shrugged, hearing her laugh.

_I see the questions in your eyes  
I know what's weighing on your mind  
That you can be sure I know my heart_

He gave her a loving look. "You do look lovely tonight, Claire." He told her softly.

"Thanks." She said, blushing even more. She was proud of the way she had left the house that night. Her mother had sat with her, spending enough time on her hair and make up to make Shannon proud. She looked down at Charlie in his suit. "You know, you should wear a suit more often." She said, looking him up and down. "It suits you."

He gave her a clever grin. "That's why it's called a 'suit'." He told her smartly. "Every guy looks good in a suit."

_'Cause I'll stand beside you through the years  
You'll only cry those happy tears_

She laughed. "I'm serious." She told him through her laugh. "You look really..."

"Smart?" He questioned. "Intelligent?"

_And though I make mistakes  
I'll never break your heart_

She gave him the sweet smile that made his legs melt. "Handsome." She said quietly, but from her heart.

He matched her smile, and if the lights weren't coming simply from the disco lights, she might have seen the blush creep into his cheeks. "I guess I can live with that." He teased.

_I swear, by the moon and the stars in the sky  
I'll be there_

She smiled, leaning up and kissing him lightly. "It's moments like this that remind me why I'm going out with you." She told him.

_I swear like the shadow that's by your side  
I'll be there_

Charlie gave her a slightly worried look from her wording. "You're having doubts?" He asked her, his eyebrows knitting together in a mixture of confusion and panic.

At his worried look, she gave him a smile, raising her hand from his shoulder to his cheek. "Of course not, I love you, remember?" She reminded him.

_For better for worse, til death do us part  
I'll love you with every beat of my heart  
I swear_

"Oh yeah." He said, brightening up to his bubbly self again. "I love you too, Claire-bear." He said, using the nickname for her that she had forbidden him from using infront of the other. The nicknames Sawyer came out with were bad enough without the influence of Charlie's soppy ones as well.

She shook her head again, smiling in the same way she had before. "I just sometimes whether you're my boyfriend or my child." She teased, pinching his cheek as she laughed before returning it to his shoulder.

_I'll give you everything I can  
I'll build your dreams with these two hands  
We'll hang some memories on the walls_

"I blame Hurley and Sawyer." He said, nodding in their direction. He didn't need to look over to know that Sawyer was most likely planning something and trying to get Hurley involved.

Claire rolled her eyes, completely unconvinced. "Yes...of course..." She said, monotonously. "I'm sure they blame you too."

Charlie nodded. "Yeah, we have this system where we blame each other, it's foolproof." He revealed to her. "Doesn't go down to well with them when you get in trouble with Mr Locke, but it's ultimately good." He said, as if he were advertising some dishwasher.

_And when just the two of us are there  
You won't have to ask if I still care  
'Cause as the time turns the page, my love won't age at all_

Claire frowned. "When have you ever been in trouble with Mr Locke?" She asked him.

"When Sawyer blamed me." Claire laughed, and Charlie gave her a kiss. "Don't worry, love, I'm a good boy, me."

"I know." She said. "You're my good boy."

_I swear, by the moon and the stars in the sky,  
I'll be there  
And I swear, like a shadow thats by your side  
I'll be there_

They shared another kiss, this time deepening it, and when they pulled back, Charlie appeared to be deep in thought. For a moment, they just listened to the music around them, getting lost in the words that had gotten him thinking so much. The words applied so much that he thought he could as well be singing it to Claire.

_For better for worse, til death do us part  
I'll love you with every beat of my hard  
I swear_

"Claire?" He asked her eventually, when the instrumental started.

"Yeah?"

"Are we still going to be together, do you think, after this year?" In truth, with all of them going off to different colleges, it had been something that he had been thinking about, and worrying about for a long time.

"You mean when we all go to different places?" She asked.

"Yeah." He whispered.

"I hope so." She said quietly. "I really love you."

"We shouldn't let a place come between that." He carried on.

"And if we're in love, then it shouldn't matter if we're in other places," She said, catching his meaning. "Because it's not like we'll be going on any dates or anything with anyone else."

"Of course not." He said quickly. How could he possibly think of cheating on Claire? "I just..."

He didn't carry on, so Claire asked. "You just..?"

"It's nothing." He said, shaking his head.

"No, go on." She encouraged him.

He sighed, collecting himself for a moment. "We've been together since ... since we started school. You've always been my girl, you know? And I don't want that to change just because we're getting older. Especially now, when I was kinda hoping that you'd always be my girl." He added sheepishly.

Claire leaned up, planting a kiss on his lips that explained everything. "I'll always be your girl, Charlie." She assured him quietly, whispering just below his ear. "You don't have to hope for that."

_I swear, by the moon and the stars in the sky  
I'll be there  
I swear, like a shadow that's by your side  
I'll be there_

_For better for worse, til death do us part  
I'll love you with every beat of my heart  
I swear, I swear_


	33. What A Girl Wants

Shannon and Sayid took to the dancefloor with the sound of Christina Aguilera filling the room around them. She had recognised the song as soon as it had started playing, and knew that it was Claire's choice. It was one that Shannon listened to nearly every day since she had brought the CD.

_I wanna thank you for giving me time to breathe  
Like a rock you waited so patiently  
While I got it together  
While I figured it out._

Sayid took her in his arms as they danced, holding her close to him. His hand came to rest on the small of her back, caressing the skin through the dress that she wore.

"I see you in a lot of different clothes," He told her, speaking with a smile. "But I must say, this dress has to be one of my favourites."

She smiled at the compliment. She was glad that he liked the dress. She had gone through hundreds at the store wanting to get one that would impress him, much to the annoyance of Kate. "It's a new line they had at the store." She told him.

_I only looked but I never touched  
'Cause in my heart was a picture of us  
Holding hands, making plans, and it's lucky for me you understand_

"I'm sure it will be a successful one too." He said, looking her up and down appreciatively.

"Yeah." She said, dreaming about how much stock of the new brand would probably be filling her wardrobe within the next few months. "Sabrina flipped when she saw the pricetag though." She said with a gentle laugh to ease the comment.

"As always." Sayid agreed. The relationship between Shannon and her stepmother, Sabrina Carlyle, was rocky to say the least. Anything Shannon did, she disagreed with it, leading to the long arguments which would put Shannon's father, Adam, into an awkward position with the two girls.

_What a girl wants  
What a girl needs  
Whatever makes me happy sets you free  
And I'm thanking you for knowing exactly_

"I swear, she'd freak over anything." She ranted, but still with a happy expression on her face. "She yelled at me for something I brought in a bargain sale once." However, this 'something' was very expensive in the first place, and still came to an extortionate price after being fifty percent off.

"You never listen to her though." Sayid pointed out to her. No matter how much Shannon was told to do something by Sabrina, it wouldn't be done. Adam would ask, and she would do it with a smile. Again, leading to long arguments which put her father in the middle.

_What a girl wants  
What a girl needs  
Whatever keeps me in your arms  
And I'm thanking you for being there for me  
Yeah, yeah._

"Dad didn't mind once I had talked him round." She shrugged.

"What did you tell him?" Sayid asked.

"I just reminded him that he told me I could have whatever I wanted." She said with a sweet smile that could have given someone a toothache.

_A weaker man might have walked awway  
But you had faith  
Strong enough to move over and give me space  
While I got it together  
While I figured it out_

"Shannon, he said that to you on your tenth birthday." He told her. It had been one of those comments that had been flown around when she asked for something extravagent that Adam had already brought her. Much like the phrases 'we'll see' and 'perhaps'.

"He never said that promise had a sell-by date on it." She shrugged innocently.

_They say if you love something let it go  
And if it comes back it's yours  
That's how you know  
It's for keeps, yeah, it's for sure  
And you're ready and willing  
To give me more than _

Sayid laughed and shook his head, smiling down at her softly. "You're beautiful when you're coniving." He told her. "It makes your eyes light up."

"Like you with a screwdriver." She told him. "You look so obsessed and stuff, like it's the love of your life or something."

"Hardly." He compromised, leaning down to kiss her softly. Their lips glided over each other as they kissed, forgetting the other dancing students around them, and just becoming engrossed in each other. "That position is already filled." He told her in a whisper when they broke apart.

_What a girl wants  
What a girl needs  
Whatever makes me happy sets you free  
And I'm thanking you for giving it to me_

"You're sweet, you know that?" She told him when the beginnings of a blush started to creep up her cheeks. Thankfully, in the dark of the dance hall, it wasn't seen that easily by him.

"I'm often told that." He said, seeing as he was told nearly every day by her.

"No being sweet to anyone else, you hear?" She mock-warned him. "I want you all to myself."

_What a girl wants  
What a girl needs  
Whatever keeps me in your arms  
And I'm thanking you for being there for me  
Yeah, yeah_

"I wouldn't have it any other way." He said, giving her another kiss.

Shannon and Sayid hadn't exactly started out on the best terms. In the group of friends, Shannon was always the difficult one. She knew what she wanted, how she liked it, and she wanted it now. That was how easily she was summed up by the others. Sayid's family had just moved into the area from Iraq, and whilst he could speak English, she would often mock him, and tease him just as much as she did to the others who she saw as 'unworthy' of her.

Then, as she started to get older, and her father remarried to Sabrina, she came to realise that the world didn't revolve around her. She she set out to find a guy who would treat her that way. None of them ever treated her like a princess, because at those ages, all they were interested in was sports, not girls. However, when she was ten years old, she found her prince in Sayid.

After a breakup with Brian, who had skillfully told her 'you're dumped' whilst he was still staring at the computer screen of his game, Shannon had done her usual of being upset about it. Sayid was the one that had found her, sitting on a park bench in the rain, shivering and crying on her own. He had taken her home with him, and yelled at his brother, Tariq, when he mocked her for looking like a drowned rat, and had talked to her for ages, making her feel better.

Since then, their friendship had become steadily stronger. They went on an official date when they were thirteen, which had been set up by Claire and Kate on Valentines day. They had their first real kiss with each other, and hadn't kissed another since.

"I have a surprise for you." Sayid whispered, leaning down to her ear.

"A surprise? For me?" She asked, a grin settling on her lips again.

"All for you." He nodded.

_A girl needs somebody sensitive but touch  
Somebody there when the going gets rough  
Each night he'll be giving his love  
To just one girl_

"What is it?" She asked him like a bubbly child.

"A surprise." He said, not revealing anything to her.

Of course, Shannon's prince also treated her as the centre of his world.

_Somebody cool but real tender too  
Somebody, baby, just like you  
Can keep me hanging around  
With the one who always knew_

She smiled at him with a gentle frown at the same time which made her look so cute. "You know, I love your mysterious side." She told him. "But sometimes, I wish you weren't so secretive."

"It'll be worth the wait." He assured her.

"It had better be." She teased, releasing her frown, but keeping her smile.

"Trust me, you'll love it." He said, pleased with himself for what he had organised and waiting for her.

_What a girl wants  
What a girl needs  
Whatever makes me happy sets you free  
And I'm thanking you for knowing exactly_

"You don't have to go through so much trouble, you know?" She reminded him, looking slightly ashamed with herself.

"What do you mean?" He asked her, confused.

She shrugged slightly. "You're always doing these lovely things for me, and I feel like I never give anything back to you." She admitted.

He gave her a smile, removing his hand from her back to bring it to rest on her cheek. "Shannon, don't feel that way." He asked of her. "You do more than enough for me. I love you. I like doing things for you. It makes you smile."

She gave him a grin, leaning thier foreheads together. "Love you too." She whispered against his lips, before they met again in a slow and passionate rush.

_What a girl wants  
What a girl needs  
Whatever keeps me in your arms  
And I'm thanking you for being there for me  
Yeah, yeah_


	34. Beautiful Soul

**Okay...I know I said that Sana would be next, but I forgot about Hurley and Libby, and I just had to do them because they're so cute. The song is Beautiful Soul by Jesse McCartney, and I promise you, I swear on Jate, that the next chapter is Sana, and then the following is Jate...I swears! It's already been written, and will probably be up on Thursday.  
XXXXX**

By the time that Hurley and Libby took to the dancefloor, Hurley was a nervous wreck. He had always been a nervous dancer. Well, he had always been nervous around girls - especially Libby. She was the first girl to ever show a real interest in him. He had Shannon, Claire and Kate, but they were his friends. Libby was something else. She was special. He didn't want to mess up their first dance together.

_I don't want another pretty face  
I don't want just anyone to hold  
I don't want my love to go to waste  
I want you and your beautiful soul_

But the more he tried to let the rhythm of the gentle Jesse McCartney song, chosed by Kate, wash through him, and help him dance, (That had been the tip that his mother had given him: don't dance to your feet, dance to the music.) The more he seemed to be getting it wrong.

Eventually, Libby's gentle laugh reached him, and he realised just how worried he was about this dance. "Hurley, don't try so hard." She told him softly. "Let it come naturally."

Naturally wouldn't work for him. With her looking to beautiful in that dress and knowing that the reason she was smiling was because she was in his company, the only thing that was coming naturally to him was a bunch of words that formed nothing but jibberish.

_You're the one I wanna chase  
You're the one I wanna hold  
I won't let another minute go to waste  
I want you and your beautiful soul_

"If it comes naturally, I'll step on your foot." He said, checking down to make sure that his feet weren't close to stepping on hers.

"You've stepped on my foot before." She told him.

He looked up from their feet, knowing now what her shoes looked like, and that they were nice, and looked into her eyes. "What? No I haven't."

_I know that you are something special  
To you I'd be always faithful  
I want to be what you always needed  
Then I hope you'll see the heart in me_

"You don't remember?" She asked. "My first day here. You stepped on my foot when you were running into class."

She watched him whilst he racked his memory. Then, a few seconds later, she watched the 'O' shape form with his lips and an apologetic look cross his features. "Oh man, that was you? I'm so sorry-"

"It doesn't matter." She smiled at him. "It was ages ago now."

_I don't want another pretty face  
I don't want just anyone to hold  
I don't want my love to go to waste  
I want you and your beautiful soul_

He didn't understand why she wasn't even mad at him for stepping on her foot. It was almost like she found it funny instead. Perhaps it was funny. He focused on dancing again, realising that they had stopped dancing for a moment when he realised that he had, in actual fact, stepped on her foot.

"I still don't wanna step on your foot." He told her, trying to get back into the beat of the music.

_You're the one I wanna chase  
You're the one I wanna hold  
I won't let another minute go to waste  
I want you and you're beautiful soul_

"I'd rather you let loose and step on my foot than carry on being so anxious." She told him. He met her eyes with a smile, and whilst his demeanour didn't change, she did notice the difference in him from hearing those words.

_You're beautiful soul, yeah  
You might need time to think it over  
But I'm just fine moving forward  
I'll ease your mind  
If you give me the chance  
I will never make you cry_

There was a silence whilst they danced, and whilst he was trying to look like he wasn't, she could still see that Hurley was focusing hard on dancing.

_Come on, let's try_

"I really like you, Libby." He blurted out suddenly.

She let his words sink in for a moment, and then gave him another smile. "I really like you too." She nodded back at him.

_I don't want another pretty face  
I don't want just anyone to hold  
I don't want my love to go to waste  
I want you and your beautiful soul_

"I was kinda wondering," He started, his nerves flodding back to him. "Whether we could...uh..."

"Be official?" She suggested, when he couldn't get the words out.

"Yeah, that's it." He said, and then came back to the moment. "You wanna?" He asked her, with a hopeful expression on his face that she just couldn't refuse.

_You're the one I wanna chase  
You're the one I wanna hold  
I won't let another minute go to waste  
I want you and you're beauitful soul_

"I'd like that." She said to him quietly, but loud enough for him to hear her still.

"Really? You would?" He asked, checking to make sure that he had heard her right.

"Yeah." She nodded.

"Whoa..." He said, a look of amazement crossing his face.

_Am I crazy for wanting you?  
Baby, do you think you could want me too?_

_I don't wanna waste your time  
Do you see things the way I do?_

"Why so surprised?" She asked through a laugh that came from seeing his face.

He shrugged, slightly embarrassed. "I didn't think you were actually gonna wanna go for it." He admitted.

"Why wouldn't I?" She asked.

"Well...I'm not the slimmest of guys...and..." He started, but she cut him off, shaking her head.

"You think that has anything to do with the fact that I like you?" She asked him.

He looked down, ashamed. "...Maybe..."

_I just wanna know if you feel it too  
There is nothing left to hide_

She used her hand to lift his gaze from the ground, bringing it to meet her own. "Hurley, you don't need to worry about that. I like you because of who you are." She said. Whoa, he thought, Kate really did pick a fitting song. "You could be purple skinned with horns and I'd still like you all the same." She reassured him.

He got a suddenly panicked look on his face, and looked around anxiously. "Don't say that too loudly." He told her in hushed tones. "You never know when Sawyer's next prank will unfold."

_I don't want another pretty face  
I don't want just anyone to hold  
I don't want my love to go to waste  
I want you and your beautiful soul_

Libby laughed, and another silence broke out over them. This time, they weren't glancing over each others shoulders, lost in the dance, but this time, they were looking directly into each others eyes, completely lost in each other. It was clear what would have happened with any other couple out there in this situation, standing so close, lips only inches away, but they both knew that Hurley was too nervous to do it.

"So..." She whispered gently. "...Are you gonna kiss me now?" She asked him.

She saw the surprise and hope enter his eyes again, realising that it gave him a wonderful spark in his eyes. "Do you want me to?" He asked her, not wanting to get on her bad side when he was so far onto her good side. Besides, he wouldn't know what to do if he upset her.

_You're the one I wanna chase  
You're the one I wanna hold  
I won't let another minute go to waste  
I want you and you're beautiful soul_

"I'd love you too." She confirmed, and as he started to lean down, slowly becuase of his nerves, she leaned up and closed the gap between them, bringing them into their first kiss.

_Your beautiful soul, yeah_


	35. It's Beginning To Get To Me

**Here's the sana chapter. I know a lot of people will protest that this song (Its Beginning To Get To Me by Snow Patrol) is a jate song...and it is...for those who want to see, TwilightDreams aka EternalConfusion has a great video to it up on youtube. It's amazing. However, despite it being a jater song, it fit so perfectly for the topic of conversation. In this chapter, we see Sawyer not being an asshole, but rather, getting right to the core of Ana. **

Sawyer and Ana Lucia ... dancing ... together. A concept that none of the others believed that they would actually get to see, figuring that they would either argue and grab someone else, or would have killed each other before the time for their dance actually came. However, there they were, on the dance floor, together, and for two people who claimed that they weren't dating, they were standing very close to each other.

_I want something  
That's purer than the water  
Like we were_

"Never took you for a dancer, Chica." Sawyer told her as he gave her a fancy spin to show off. Unlike the others, he couldn't just sway to the music and do the mushy slow dance stuff, mainly because whoever had picked this song (Jack, he thought) had picked a faster paced rock-ish song. He wouldn't admit that he liked it, but it did mean that he got to show Ana some of his smooth moves.

"You neither." She returned. "And don't call me Chica." She added firmly.

_It's not there now  
Ineloquence and anger  
Are all we have_

"What's you're excuse?" He asked her.

"Mom enrolled me in classes when I was younger." She revealed. "Didn't have much of a choice."

Sawyer knew that Ana's mother was a cop, and wondered why she had sent her daughter to dance classes instead of boot camp. "Like 'em?" He asked her.

"Hated them." She said, with an addition of bitterness added to it.

_Like Saturn's rings  
An icy loop around me  
Too hard to hold_

"It shows." He said smugly.

"Bastard." She muttered to him. "Your excuse?"

He smiled to her, looking very pleased with himself. "If you're gonna charm the ladies, you've gotta know your stuff." He said, as if he were reciting from some well known document on being a ladykiller. If Sawyer were more inclined to do schoolwork, he might have used his reading and writing skills to write the said document, but for him, that would be like sharing his technique. He couldn't do that. Not when he was planning to get her out of this dress tonight.

_Lash out first  
At all the things we don't like  
Or understand_

"That's your call then?" She asked him, laughing under her breath. "Charming ladies?"

He shrugged. "Might as well play what I'm good at." He decided.

_And it's beginning to get to me  
That I know more of the stars and sea  
Than I do of what's in your head  
Barely touching in our cold bed_

"What makes you think you're any good?" She teased him.

"The fact that you say you hate my guts, and then you still came to the dance with me." He said simply.

Caught out, Ana shrugged. She always had a card up her sleeve. "I didn't want to come by myself."

_Are you beginning to get my point?  
There's always fighting with aching joints  
It's doing nothing but tire us out  
No one knows what this fight's about_

"Whatever." He said, not believing her for a second. "You're still here. You could have come with anyone." He spun her again, and then pulled her tight up against him. "Maybe there is some feelings in there somewhere?"

"I have plenty of feelings." She said simply.

_The answer phone  
The lonely sound of your voice  
Frozen in time_

"For me?" He tempted.

"Other than hatred or annoyance?" She checked.

"You bet."

_I only need  
The compass that you gave me  
To guide me on_

She shook her head. "Get over yourself."

"That's a yes then." He decided.

She looked at him, her eyes flashing dangerously. "I didn't say that." She protested.

"Didn't say no, neither." He pointed out.

_And it's beginning to get to me  
That I know more of the stars and sea  
Than I do of what's in your head  
Barely touching in our cold bed _

She groaned, but not in the way that he wanted her to. This was of frustration - towards him. Nevermind, he thought, that can be changed. "God, you're so full of yourself." She complained.

"It's called confidence." He said, puffing his chest out slightly. The only thing this accomplished was bringing them closer together. "You should get some."

"I have confidence." She insisted irritantly.

_Are you beginning to get get my point  
They're always fighting with aching joints  
It's doing nothing but tire us out  
No one knows what this fight's about _

"Maybe in yourself, but not in others." He pointed out.

"What makes you think that?" She asked, not wanting to break under him, but also curious as to what he was on about.

_It's so thrilling but also wrong  
Don't have to prove that you are so strong  
Cos I can carry you on my back  
After our enemies attack _

"The way you're always expecting everyone to let you down."

"I am not." She said, too quickly for either of their liking.

"That's why you never get close to people." He continued, as if he hadn't heard her.

"Look wiseguy, you've known me for a month, don't act like you know me." She said hotly.

He gave her a smug smile, which only added to her frustration. "That's the beauty of it, Princess, I don't have to act."

_I tried to tell you before I left  
But I was screaming under my breath  
You are the only thing that makes sense  
Just ignore all this present tense _

"Look-" She started, but he cut her off.

"Maybe you should give some of us people a chance." He told her.

"You?" She asked, getting onto his line of thought and sneering at it, although, secretly, she wondered why he was talking like this.

_We need to feel breathless with love  
And not collapse under its weight  
I'm gasping for the air to fill  
My lungs with everything I've lost _

"I'm not sayin' that." He told her. "I'm just saying that not everyone's gonna hurt you. It's no good going through your whole life thinking that it's gonna happen like that." He shrugged, looking down into the eyes that weren't wandering around the room anymore, but instead, were trained on him. "Course, if you were gonna give me a chance, I wouldn't hurt you." He told her.

She started at him for a moment, and then he noticed the smirk playing on the corner of her lips. "So, there's a sensitive guy underneath the hard nut image then?" She asked him.

_We need to feel breathless with love  
And not collapse under its weight  
I'm gasping for the air to fill  
My lungs with everything I've lost _

He cocked an eyebrow at her, getting out of the slushy territory that had broken her, and back into his seduction game. "Wanna find out?" He asked, hoping she'd give into temptation.

Her head raised, and thier lips met, and they were so far into temptation that it was all they knew.

_And it's beginning to get to me  
That I know more of the stars and sea  
Than I do of what's in your head _

**You all know what chapter comes next...**


	36. Why Don't You Kiss Her

**Okay, you've all been waiting for this one...the jate chapter...it took me so long to write the others, and about thirty seconds to plan this one. I hope you like it. This is the chapter where everyone else finds out.  
Also, to all those people who are getting GCSE results today...I hope you all did well. Congratulations Emma! Laura, I hope yours as as brill as you want them to be. Katy - I hope the dentist goes well! Liz, I hope your AS grades were good! Also, Katy, you said you might kill me if their song wasn't Collide, so please don't hurt me, but I saw these lyrics, and just HAD to use them. They fit so perfectly for what the others are trying to say to them...as Charlie says.  
Because of that...I promise you a special Collide chapter...a very romantic one.**

During the time when Sawyer and Ana Lucia were dancing, Kate made her way over to the food table, picking up a couple of cocktail sausages to satisfy her stomach for a while longer. As she stood there alone, away from the eyes of her friends who had been watching her and Jack like hawks for any signs of affection between the pair, she saw Jack sneaking away from them to join her.

"Hey." He said as he came to her side.

"God, I'm glad to see you." She smiled at him as she stood closer to him, their arms brushing agaist each other as they stood side by side, still watching the dancing couple.

"I was about to say the same thing." He grinned at her.

She gestured over to the girls, who were shaking their heads, noticing the first signs of Sawyer's seduction routine. "They haven't shut up about me wearing a dress all night." She groaned.

"Neither has Sawyer." Jack told her. "Watch your back."

"Why?" She asked.

He raised an eyebrow as he turned to her. "Let's just say that Sawyer's been looking a bit too far south for my liking tonight."

Realisation that Sawyer had been looking at her butt dawned on her, and her eyes widened. "That sonofa-"

"Relax." He told her, before she went marching over to him. "He's not taking my girl off of me."

She smiled at being called 'his girl', and turned back to facing the rest of them, noticing how they all had arms slung around each other, smiling. She wished that her and Jack could stop hiding thier relationship so that they could fit in with them. "Everyone looks really happy tonight, don't they?" She said softly.

"Yeah." He nodded, hearing the all too familiar song that Sawyer and Ana were dancing too coming to an end. "I seem to recall that we haven't danced tonight." He said innocently.

"No, we haven't." She said simply.

"Come on." He said, holding his hand out to her.

"What?" She asked, looking at him.

"We're dancing." He said.

"Jack-"

"It's a dance." He said, before he could get out of it. "They've picked us a song, and I wanna dance with my girl." He said proudly.

She blushed a little. "If you're not careful, everyone's going to know that she's your girl."

"Then let them know." He said, as she took his hand, and let him lead her onto the dancefloor.

They both knew that they were being watched by a lot of people when they got onto the dancefloor. The music started, a song that neither of them knew at first, but was sung by the same artist who had sung the song that they had picked for Hurley and Libby, Jesse McCartney.

_We were the best of friends  
And we share our secrets  
She knows everything that is on my mind  
but lately something's changed_

They started to dance, and he could see how hard Kate was concentrating on the dance - the gentle crease on her forehead was a big giveaway.

"See...it's not so bad." He told her.

_As I lay awake in my bed  
A voice here inside my head  
Softly says_

The fact that she was standing so close to him, with his arms around her waist, and hers linked around his neck, meant that it was far from bad. In fact, the only thing that was bad about it was that she wanted to kiss him so badly.

"I haven't stepped on your feet yet." She said.

"It doesn't matter if you do." He assured her. "It'll remind me that I danced with you."

_Why don't you kiss her  
Why don't you tell her  
Why don't you let her see  
The feelings that you hide_

As sweet as that sounded, she shook her head. "Yeah, you'll be reminded by the case on your foot." She said, showing the minimal confidence she had in herself.

"Stop worrying so much." He said, laughing gently. "Just go with the music."

_'Cause she'll never know  
If you never show  
The way you feel inside_

Speaking of the music, she recognised the song now. It was called 'Why don't you kiss her?'. Trust them to pick a song like this for her and Jack. She let out a gentle sigh, wanting to be held closer to him, and starting to hate the few inches that stood between them.

"Hmm...I wish we were somewhere else." She mused quietly. "Somewhere we could be alone."

"Me too." Jack agreed. "But I like having you in my arms like this."

_Oh, I'm so afraid to make that first move  
Just a touch and we  
Could cross that line_

She let out a gentle laugh. "Do you have any idea how cheesy that sounds?" She joked.

"I don't care." He shrugged. "I'm dancing with you, for the first time in my life, and I don't really care how cheesy it sounds."

_Everytime she's near  
I wanna never let her go  
Confess to her what my heart knows  
Hold her close_

His eyes drifted over to their side momentarily, and then he laughed.

"What?" Kate asked.

"They're watching us like hawks." He said, and she followed his gaze to where the others stood.

Charlie, Claire, Shannon, Sayid, Sawyer, Ana, Hurley and Libby were all watching them, as if daring them to try and step of the dancefloor through the smiles they wore. If they could have heard them speaking over the music, they would have heard: "Don't they look perfect." "God, she hasn't been this happy in ages." "They make a great couple." "Is he going to kiss her already?" "They're just teasing us now because they know how much we want them to be together."

_Why don't you kiss her  
Why don't you tell her  
Why don't you let her see  
The feelings that you hide_

Kate and Jack returned to looking at each other, laughing to themselves. "They'll never give up, will they?" Kate said, recovering from her laughter.

"I think they'll be satisfied soon enough." Jack predicted.

"Oh, will they?" She challenged.

He nodded. "Yes, because I'm really having trouble not kissing you right now." He revealed.

_'Cause she'll never know  
If you never show  
The way you feel inside_

She laughed at this, bringing her face a fraction closer to his with a teasing smile on her face. This didn't go unnoticed by their friends. "Am I tempting you, Jack?" She asked in a sultry voice.

"Definately." He confirmed.

"You do realise that I could make it much worse for you." She pointed out, bringing the rest of her body a step closer, so that as they moved to the music, they occassionally brushed up against each other.

_What would she say  
I wonder, would she just turn away  
Or would she promise me  
That she's here to say_

"Don't..." He said, quietly begging. "Unless you want me to embarrass myself because a body part other than my lips is reacting."

Whilst that would be a worst nightmare for him in the middle of a school dance, she probably thought it would be hilarious.

"That's it, laugh it up." He told her sarcastically. "I'm controlling myself here."

_It hurts me to wait  
I keep asking myself_

She stopped laughing, and smiled at him instead. "Then stop controlling yourself, and just kiss me." She told him.

He kept his face trained on hers, but let his eyes flicker towards the others for a moment. "They'll see." He reminded her.

"Let them." She said, her eyes glittering at him.

_Why don't you kiss her_

"They're going to kill us for keeping this from them." He elaborated. He could see the headlines now: Couple murdered by friends for hiding relationship that said friends were planning the wedding for.

"Then we'll die happy." She said with mock dramatics and a breathless sigh that made him smile even more.

_Why don't you tell her_

"They'll probably be announcing our marriage." He laughed. "But that's not much different to any other day."

_Why don't you let her see  
The feelings that you hide_

"Hey guys!"

They turned quickly to see Charlie yelling over at them.

"What?" Jack called back.

"Listen to the words, mate. We picked this song for a reason, and at the moment, we're not seeing any reasoning going on." He complained.

_Cause she'll never know  
If you never show  
The way you feel inside_

Slowly, they turned back to each other. He smiled down at her, his eyes flickering from her shining eyes to her waiting lips. Leaning forwards, slowly, taunting everyone, including himself, he slid his hand onto the small of her back, and enveloped her lips with his own.

_Why don't you kiss her (tell her you love her)  
Why don't you tell her (tell her you need her)  
Why don't you let her see  
The feelings that you hide  
'Cause she'll never know  
If you never show  
The way you feel inside_


	37. Thrown To The Lions

"OH"

"MY"

"GOD!"

That was the basic reaction from the group, who were staring open mouthed and wide eyed at the couple on the dance floor. Even though they had been egging them on with the song, they hadn't for a minute considered that they would actaully do it. Shannon and Claire knew that the pair had kissed before, but they knew of the quick peck on the lips in the mall, nothing of this magnitude.

"I don't believe it." Shannon gasped.

"Wait a minute," Sawyer said, working out what was going on in his head. "They're together, and they didn't even tell us?"

"Dude, thats unfair!" Hurley complained.

Charlie looked at them curiously, and then down at his watch, then at the others around him. "Shouldn't they have, you know, come up for air by now?"

"I don't believe it!" Shannon gasped again, louder this time.

Most people would think that they should have come up for air by now, especially Charlie, who was subconsciously timing them, but Jack and Kate were so distracted by the feel of each others lips upon them that they didn't care for what most people thought. This was their first real public kiss, and all the stress of not being able to kiss in front of them for a week was all poured into this single kiss.

Kate's arms were wound tightly around his neck, pulling them as close as humanly possible, and Jack had one had on the back of her neck, cradling her against him, and the other on her back, holding her up. Her legs always felt weak after a kiss like this, and he knew that in heels, she would probably fall over. His tongue found the spot that drove her wild, and she let out a moan into his mouth that only he heard. He returned her sound, and kissed her deeper.

They hadn't noticed that the music they were dancing to had stopped, but it didn't matter, because they weren't dancing anymore. They were more than content to be standing in each others arms all night, enjoying their kiss. They both silently agreed that it was a good song though.

However, no sooner had their lips left each others, arms grabbed hold of them and marched them off of the dance floor. Once they were back over to the side of the dancefloor, they were faced with the shocked and expecting faces of their friends, who looked like they didn't know whether to kill them or scream with an extremely high-pitched squeal.

"When?" Shannon demanded.

Kate laughed, feeling Jack's arm snake around her shoulders, keeping her beside him. "Sunday morning. Jack's front lawn." She told them.

"Why didn't you tell us?" Claire asked.

"We just wanted to keep it to ourselves for a while." Jack said with a smile, looking to Kate, who nodded in agreement with him.

Shannon looked even more shocked. "But-but-but-" She started, unable to get the words out that she wanted to use.

"But we've been planning this for years!" Claire said, finishing off Shannon's sentence. "And you didn't tell us!"

Kate gave a half-shrug. "We decided that we wanted to do it our own way."

Claire looked excited all of a sudden. "How did it happen?"

Shannon got a threatening look on her face, and poked a sharp-nailed finger into Jack's chest. "It had better have been romantic, mister!" She warned him.

He nodded. "Don't worry, it was." He assured them.

"Guys, this is serious." Sawyer said, and Jack and Kate looked over at them over Shannon and Claire's squeeing.

Charlie nodded in agreement. "We need revenge for this."

"Whoa, what? Revenge?" Jack stepped in, but they ignored him, and went deep into thought.

"Oh my god this is so amazing!" Shannon squealed.

"I can't believe you two are finally together!" Claire said, jumping up and down quickly, but stopping when she realised that heels weren't very stable for this purpose.

"How long has it taken them?" Libby asked, having missed the early days of the 'epic love story' of Jack and Kate.

"Only ten years." Sawyer said, before returning to his thoughts.

"So now you can get married, have babies, and it'll all be a happy ending." Shannon said.

"A happy beginning." Claire corrected.

Charlie heard this, and started formulating a plan.

Jack gave them a tired look. "Wasn't the deal that if we won the bet with the dolls that you would stop planning?"

"Yeah, but this is too good to be true!" Shannon said, jumping up and down and coming to the same conclusion as Claire about jumping in heels.

"So, are you two just together, or, like, in love?" Hurley asked.

Jack and Kate looked at each other, giving a warm smile as Jack's arm pulled her closer, leaning her head on his shoulder, and the others all 'awwed' at them, despite the fact that the didn't give an answer.

"They are in love!" Shannon said. "How sweet."

"I've got it!" Charlie announced.

"Got what?" Kate asked

"The revenge."

Jack rolled his eyes. "Why do you need revenge?"

"Charlie's right." Claire told him. "You were in a relationship together and you didn't tell us. The rulebook clearly says that if you are in a relationship with someone inside the group than you have to tell everyone straight away. You've got to do the forfeit."

Kate looked up at Jack again. "Why do I get the feeling we're not going to come out of this alive?" She asked him.

He shook his head. "We'll probably live through it, but we might have to say goodbye to privacy and dignity."

Charlie pointed up in the air. "To the school gardens!"


	38. We're Doomed

**Thanks for being patient guys! I really needed the support and you've all been fab!**

Chapter 38: We're Doomed

Jack and Kate were dragged out to the school gardens by Sawyer and Charlie. They weren't even given an opportunity to co-operate before thier shoulders were pulled out of their sockets in an attempt to kidnap the couple. Kate looked rather ashemed when she saw Mr Locke's amused face as he watched the group. She did wonder briefly whether he had anything to do with it, but she reminded herself that this was the headteacher, and that he would never have such a part to play in one of Charlie's plans.

Outside, they were sat down on one of the benches. Kate sometimes came and sat on these benches when she needed to be alone. The school gardens were really beautiful, especially at this time of year. Nothing was dying yet, but you could tell that autumn was in the air because the flowers were giving one final spurt of energy before they would wither. The whole garden was a twist of paths that garanteed privacy for every bench (something that Jack and Kate had taken advantage of through the week but realised from the looks they got upon returning that it couldn't become a habit).

They were alone on the bench, but they could hear the others just around the corner, talking. Unfortunately, they couldn't hear what was being said, because they were just that tiny bit out of earshot, but they could see their shadows moving on the corner of the path. Another unfortunate matter was that the only way to get away from them was to go down the path they were blocking.

So they sat, obediently, awaiting their doom, whilst Charlie explained his plan to the Others.

"Well," Jack said after a minute of silence. "We told them."

Kate nodded, agreeing with him, but not taking her eyes off the corner. She had been staring at them hoping that if she did it long enough, she'd magically be able to hear them, but it wasn't working. "What do you think they're planning?" She asked him.

Jack shrugged. "No idea. It can't be that bad." He said.

"It couldn't be, right?"

"I mean, we've both got to do it."

"Yeah, we'll do it together."

"Good idea."

"Nothing can go wrong then."

"Right."

As they fell into silence again, Jack picked up Kate's hand, cradling it in his as he caught sight of her necklace glinting in the moonlight. He couldn't help feeling that it was the best money he had ever spent. It was almost as beautiful as she was.

Now, however, they had over-assured themselves. They were just kidding themselves when they were thinking that things would be fine and that no dignity would be harmed...if only they knew...

"This is going to be terrible, isn't it?" Jack realised.

Kate nodded, speaking so quickly that she almost cut him off. "Absolutely."

Jack sighed heavily, looking at the shrubbery infront of him. "We're doomed."

----------

Sawyer and Charlie had been sent inside, whilst the others focused on the other details of Charlie's plan. They were on the prowl for a certain two people who Shannon had suggested for a very special job.

"You'd think that twins would be easy to spot, wouldn't you?" Charlie said as they weaved in and out of the dancefloor.

"Yeah...there they are!" Sawyer said, pointing out the two girls that they were looking for.

Unwillingly, they detatched the girls from their dance partners, and removed them from the dancefloor. It was all Sawyer's idea, of course, because Charlie would never dream of treating Jack's relatives that way. They stood face to face with Jack's twin cousins.

Liz and Katy were fourteen, in their junior years of the high school, and weren't impressed at all that they had finally been able to dance with the boys that they fancied, and had been dragged off only thirty seconds into the song. Neither were very happy that the boys had started dancing with other girls as well.

Liz, the younger of the two twins by only eight minutes, had brown curly hair, which came to a stop at her shoulders. Her brown-green eyes were complimented by the outfit she was wearing. It was no secret that the tomboy in her was going to reject the idea of a dress for the dance, and instead, she had chosen to wear a teal green shirt with spaghetti straps, and a pair of faded jeans which were saved for special occassions like this.

She had been dancing with Liam, a boy that Sawyer knew vaugely, and Charlie didn't know at all, but Liz knew, and liked very much. Liam had hair almost identical to Liz's, the same dark chocolate colour, but it was in a short cropped style, much like himself. With Liz's small heels, she was easily half a head taller than him.

Katy, on the other hand, had embraced the idea of getting so glammed up for the dance. She was different to her twin, and often spent a lot of time explaining to people that twins didn't have to be identical. Katy's hair was a lighter brown than Liz's, and also longer. She had blue eyes, like thier mother, rather than Liz's, which matched their father. Katy's skin was light, almost pale, but still with a healthy glow that came from her summer tan. Her freckles were usually hidden, but because of the summer, they were almost bouncing off her cheeks.

She had chosen to wear a dress, and had spent the usual hours getting ready to impress at the dance. Even though she was several years younger than Shannon, her dressing habits were the same, and she had spent a long time before the mirror. She had taken care with her hair, bringing it into a bun on the back of her head with a few single locks hanging down across her shoulders. It was a spaghetti strap gown in a beautiful mid-blue, and diamante patterns which sparkled under the disco lights. The accompany the outfit was a pale blue shimmering shawl which she had wrapped around her arms.

She was dancing with Logan, a friend of Liam's whom she had long had her eye on. It was no secret why, he was definately attractive, with his dark curly hair and pale blue eyes. Any girl would be a sucker for him. It was no surprise that she wasn't happy with Charlie's proposed plan compared to dancing with Logan.

"So, let me get this straight?" Katy said, her arms folded over her chest as she ran Charlie's plan over in her head. "You want us to be in on this pathetic little plan, and for no money whatsoever?"

Maybe it did sound a little strange when they worded it that way.

"You're family!" Charlie reminded them. Family...the ultimate blackmail.

"You're insane." Liz spoke up from beside her sister. Although they weren't indentical, they both wore matching expressions of irritance.

"You haven't even got a-." Katy assumed, but Charlie cut her off.

Charlie gave her a tired look. Why did this have to be so difficult? He was starting to warm up to Sawyer's original idea of putting bags over their head and dragging them kicking and screaming with gags in their mouths out to the gardens. Mind you, that had been Sawyer's original plan to any plan involving transport of people. "For your information" He told her, "Claire and Shannon are covering of it."

Liz looked at him incredulously. "You mean, the girls are in on this too?"

"Of course they're in on it!" Charlie told them.

"And they're actually letting you do this?"

Why did girls always assum that every idea with the tinest flaw in it was completely male organised?

"It was mostly their idea." Sawyer told them.

"Look, will you do it, or not?" Charlie asked irritantly.

Katy and Liz looked at each other, thinking it over. They had known Kate for as long as they could remember, because whenever there was family parties, she would always be invited along with Jack. They actually got on really well with her, but she probably wouldn't appreciate their participation in Charlie's plan. Neither would Jack, but on the other hand, they needed revenge for Jack 'just happening' to be looking through the girls baby photos with their mother when they had brought their boyfriends home for the first time.

"We're in." They decided in unison.


	39. Father Charlie's Idea

**Thanks for the reviews! This is the chapter where you finally find out what the plan is. I know it's only short, and I built it up a lot, but there's a lot to come. After the dance, things take a big downer I'm afraid, but it goes up again! Thanks Laura for hearing me waffle about this idea for ages! I love you girl!**

Chapter 39: Father Charlie's Idea

Twenty minutes later, with the gang all back together with the two extra girls tagging along, they had found the perfect location. Ana and Libby had found the biggest part of the garden for them all to stand in comfortably. Sawyer and Charlie had given Katy and Liz their instructions. The older girls had then gone to retrieve Kate, who had silently begged Jack to help her, but he was too busy being tugged away by Hurley and Charlie in the opposite direction to do anything.

Now, however, they were starting to feel just a little bit ridiculous.

They were standing opposite each other. Kate had been given a handful of stolen flowers from the gardens to hold, and Claire had insisted on putting a rose behind her ear until a cry of pain from Kate reminded her that they had thorns on the stem. They had simply placed the rose in the bunch of flowers instead, and several times Kate had pricked her finger on the thorns. They had fixed up her make up, which hadn't needed much to it. Kate rarely wore make up so when she did, she made sure that it wouldn't need re-doing throughout the evening.

Jack hadn't had anything done to him other than be dragged to the part of the gardens where the others were, and told to stand in that exact place otherwise he would be in for a very painful time.

He stood, facing Kate, listening to Charlie speaking, but only half listnening. Behind Kate, stood Claire, Shannon, Ana and Libby. Behind him was Sayid, Sawyer and Hurley. Charlie stood between them, but back a bit so that there was nothing but air between them. Although Jack very muched liked standing here, holding Kate's hands in his and staring into her eyes, the situation was leaving something to be desired.

When they realised they were doomed, they didn't realise how doomed they were. They knew that the others would be somewhat annoyed when they told them that they were actually together, and hadn't told them. They knew that there would be some form of revenge. They had thought that this would perhaps involve doing a crazy stunt in public. Or perhaps being forced to eat something that was unfit for human consumption.

What they hadn't counted on, was Charlie insisting that they got married.

But, they had been powerless to stop them, which is why Jack was currently sliding a ring on to Kate's finger, glaring at his cousins for thier involvement. It was a ring that fit her, miraculously, but rather than appearing like a wedding ring (which was probably a good thing), it was silver coated plastic, and had a green and blue butterfly on the top of it. It was clearly something meant for kids, because they had needed to alter the size as far as it would go to fit her.

"Now, do you, Jack, take Kate to be your unlawfully wedded wife, forever and ever until we say so?" Charlie asked.

"Charlie, this is ridiculous..."

Charlie cut him off with a stare that actually looked intimidating, especially for Charlie. "You will answer the question exactly how we told you to, Jack, or there will be consequences." He warned him. "Now, do you take Kate to be your wife?"

Considering this was the original plan, Jack hated to think what the consequences were. "Yes." He answered obediently.

"You're not supposed to say yes!" Charlie corrected him.

"Oh, right...um...I do." Jack answered.

"Much better. Now, Kate, do you take Jack to be your unlawfully wedded husband, forever and ever until we say so?"

"Charlie, please..."

"Answer the bloody question!" He ordered her.

"Okay. Yes." Charlie glared at her. "I mean...I do."

"Perfect!" Charlie announced, grinning for the first time now that the ceremony was over. The pair had been stubborn the whole way through. "Now, by the power invested in me by no-one whatsoever, I pronounce you man and wife. Jack, you may kiss your bride."

Now, this was the part of it that Jack liked. At least their revenge hadn't been to stop them kissing. He leaned forward, shaking his head at the situation, but smiling as he kissed her nonetheless. She kissed him back, allowing him entrace with his tongue, and she was glad that no one besides Jack heard her tiny moan over the others applauding.

"Whoa there!" Sawyer interrupted, as the pair carried on kissing. "Preacher boy said kiss, not go the full four bases on school grounds."

Jack and Kate pulled apart, blushing slightly.

"Great, now can we go back inside? I need a drink." Sawyer said, and the group followed him inside.

-------------

Once back inside, Jack decided to confront his beloved cousins about their involvement in this 'wedding'. He had a feeling that they weren't completely dragged into this, and that there was some incentive behind it. He had known them too long and too well to know otherwise.

He left Kate's side, as she talked to Claire and Libby, and went in search of the twins. He spotted them instantly, trying to hide amongst their friends as soon as they spotted him coming over.

"So..." He said innocently, as he put an arm around each of their shoulders and steered them away from their human sheild which had provided no protection whatsoever.

"So..." They repeated uncomfortably.

"I'm guessing that this is..."

"Revenge." They chorused together.

He had known it all along. "For...?" He urged.

"Showing our baby pictures around."

Jack struggled to recall the memory for a moment, but soon remembered sitting on his aunt's couch, flipping through the family albums with her when the twins had walked in with what he liked to refer to as their 'potentials'. He never had seen those boys again. All he had done was shown the girls the picture of them both sitting on their potties together.

"It was a coincidence." He told them for the billionth time.

"It was a carefully planned scheme." Katy corrected.

"Much like this one." Liz smiled evilly.

Jack shook his head with a sigh. "I can't believe you guys."

"Careful, Jack." Katy warned. "Be nasty, as we'll tell Aunty Margo that you've been participating in honeymoon activities."

"We haven't-"

"Who is she going to believe?" Liz tested. "Us, or the blushing stammering boy?"

Jack sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets and retrieving his wallet, which was somewhat lighter after paying for Kate's necklace.

"How much?" He asked them tiredly.

"Twenty." Liz said, and Jack handed her a twenty dollar note.

"Each." Kate added, and Jack handed the extra money over.

The girls disappeared and with it, when the last of Jack's allowance.

------------------

A/N: Hows that for a slice of fried gold?


	40. A Bit Overboard

Chapter 40: A bit overboard

They thought that they were safe after participating in the fake wedding ceremony, but clearly they weren't. Only ten minutes after Jack had returned, wallet empty, from the twins, he had been urged onto the dancefloor with Kate for their first 'married dance'. Unfortunately, Claire and Shannon had done a lot of wedding research, and knew exactly what song they needed to dance to.

_Sometimes the snow comes down in June  
Sometimes the sun goes round the moon_

As much as Jack thought they were going too far with the whole wedding idea now, he did like the idea of dancing with Kate again, even if she had only promised him one dance. He could compromise that, because he thought that she danced extremely well. He brought her effortlessly into his arms again as they danced together.

_I see the passion in your eyes  
Sometimes it's all a big surprise_

"I can't believe those guys." Jack laughed to himself after a moment.

"I knew they'd be annoyed about us not telling them, and all, but this?" She said, not even needing to say what had happened that night. "Surely it's a bit overboard..."

_'Cause there was a time when all I did was wish  
You'd tell me this was love_

"Sixteen and married...yeah that's overboard...I'm not sure it's even legal."

_It's not the way I hoped  
Or how I planned  
But somehow, it's enough_

Kate laughed at the last comment. "I thought we'd planned this for thirty, not sixteen." She remembered, thinking back to before they were together and they were walking back home from school.

Jack shrugged. "Clearly they couldn't wait for fourteen years."

_And now we're standing face to face  
Isn't this world a crazy place? _

She smirked. "Well, they've already waited ten years, even another two would probably kill them."

Jack looked thoughtful for a moment. "Maybe that's a good idea, I mean...they'd stop going on at us..."

_Just when I thought our chance had passed  
You go and save the best for last_

"Jack!" She protested, gently hitting his arm.

"I'm kidding, I'm kidding." He assured her, and she smiled, tightening her arms around his neck as she brought her lips to his softly.

_All of those nights you came to me  
When some silly girl had set you free_

"There was something missing though, I guess." She realised quietly.

"You mean, besides the family?" He asked.

_You wondered how you made it through  
I wondered what was wrong with you_

She shook her head. "As good a job as Sawyer did giving me away, it's not that."

"A cake?"

"No."

_'Cause how could you give your love to someone else  
And share your dreams with me?_

"Everything else that comes with a real wedding?"

"No..." She said, shaking her head again, then giving him a playful smile. "I don't remember getting proposed to, that's all."

_Sometimes the very thing you're looking for  
Is the one thing you can't see_

Jack laughed again. "We're definately doing this backwards." He agreed. "Last week we were parents, this week we're married...I guess next week we'll get engaged, and then the week after that we'll have our first kiss."

Kate shook her head firmly. "No way." She denied. "I have a beautiful memory of our first kiss being at the base of a tree, underneath the stars, in your arms...I don't want that to be replaced."

He agreed with her. "And our second kiss was kinda...steamy..." He said, remembering how Kate had begged him that night when she had been vulnerable.

"Yeah...sorry about that." She blushed awkwardly.

_And now we're standing face to face  
Isn't this world a crazy place?_

"But our third kiss...was absolutely perfect." He remembered, clearly seeing the image of her running back to him on his front lawn and jumping into his arms.

"I'm sure your neighbours loved it." She realised, thinking that maybe she hadn't chosen the best place to leap into his embrace.

_Just when I thought our chance had passed  
You go and save the best for last_

"I don't care. I loved it. That's all that matters." He said, waiting for her beautiful smile before lowering his lips back down to hers.

They remained dancing as their tongues gently caressed each others, but Jack's hands crept lower so that they were on the small of her back, resting only millimetres above her butt. She pulled away, giving him a challenging look, daring him to continue his game, but he kept his hands still, and kissed the end of her nose sweetly.

_Sometimes the very thing you're looking for  
Is the one thing you can't see_

"So...what happens now?" Jack asked.

"Hmm..." Kate thought. "I guess this weekend counts as our honeymoon..."

"I guess so." He agreed.

_Sometimes the snow comes down in June_

Kate's face no longer looked happy, but rather worried. He noticed the instant change in her expression and his eyebrows furrowed together in concern.

"Hey, what's wrong?" He asked her, bringing his hand to cup her cheek.

_Sometimes the sun goes round the moon_

"I know...uh..." She started awkwardly. "I know what usually happens on wedding nights, but..."

Jack nodded. "You're not ready." He finished for her.

_Just when I thought our chance had passed_

She raised her eyes to meet his once again. "I'm sorry." She said weakly.

He gave her a gentle smile, one that made all her fears melt away but still, the nagging that she had disappointed him filled her head. "No, don't be sorry." He told her. "Kate, I don't want you to do anything that you're not ready for, especially this."

_You go and save the best for last_

"You really don't mind?" She checked.

"Of course not." He assured her. "Like I said before, when we do take the next step, I want it to be a step we take together because we both want to, not one of us doing it because the other wants it." He caressed his thumb over her cheek. "That way, it can never be a mistake."

Kate shook her head. "No, I don't want it to be a mistake."

"We said that we were taking things slowly." He reminded her. "That still matters."

Kate smirked. "Maybe we should have told the others that, and they wouldn't have married us off."

Jack laughed, and Kate no longer felt nervous. She should have known better than to think Jack was simply after her for sex.

"Are you sure you don't mind about tonight?" She checked for a final time.

"Not in the slightest." He reassured her. "Besides...both our parents are home."

Now it was time for Kate to laugh. He brought her close against him, enveloping her in a hug against his chest as she smiled into his suit jacket.

"I love you." He murmered into her ear.

_You went and saved the best for last_


	41. Just Like Her Mother

Chapter 41: Just like her mother

At the end of the night, Jack walked Kate home. Of course, everyone asked them whether they would be completing their wedding with a honeymoon night, but Jack had stepped in, saying that they'd like to have control over at least one part of the evening, and that they wouldn't be. Neither of them wanted to jump too quickly into something so big, especially when they had only been together for just under a week. Of course, they loved each other deeply, but it was just too soon for them.

They stood on the landing outside Kate's apartment, where her father was waiting inside for her to get in, and she turned to face Jack completely, letting their clasped hands hang between them.

"So..this is goodbye." She smiled.

"No, it's goodnight." He corrected.

"Same difference." She brushed off.

"No, it's a big difference." Jack pointed out to her. "I'd say goodbye if I was leaving you, but I'm not, I'm just going somewhere else."

"So, no goodbye's, huh?" She asked.

He leaned in, and kissed her, and against her lips, he murmered "I'll never say goodbye to you, Katie."

She smiled. "Thanks for a great night, Jack." She grinned.

"Thank you for a great wedding." He smirked.

Suddenly, Jack realised that the others had clearly planned this even more than he thought. Especially the girls. They knew that Kate was wearing a red dress to the dance, and when they had caught him out daydreaming in the cafeteria about weddings, they had put Kate in a red dress...

He would get them back for this.

"I'll call you in the morning, yeah?" He double checked, as they had planned to spend the day together.

She nodded. "Definately."

She kissed him one final time, letting mouths roam until hands began to. She always found with these kisses with Tom that his hands began to roam to dangerous territory. He would run hands up her sides until his thumbs were teasing along the sides of her breasts, and even on her thighs.

These touches had panicked her, they always had done. Whenever Tom's hands began to roam, she would feel the adrenaline pumping through her, and she would have to pull away, much to his disappointment.

Earlier, on the dancefloor, she had wondered whether she would mind Jack's hands tracing those paths. Would the same fear of the unknown course through her enough to make her pull away from him. She knew that it would break his heart to know that she had pulled away because she was scared of him, or what he would do to her.

But even now, with Jack's hands gently rubbing her hips, she felt no pressure, and certainly no fear. With Tom, she ended up feeling afraid to be in a room with him, just incase he decided that that was the day to take their relationship to the next level. True, she wasn't ready yet, but she knew that she would never feel that fear of it with Jack.

Jack wouldn't pressure her, she knew that. He wanted her to be comfortable and ready, he wanted her to want it...to want him. That was what she wanted to. Like he had said, it couldn't be a mistake that way. The last thing she wanted a union of her and Jack's bodies to be was a mistake. In the girl's bathroom at school, she had overheard conversations of girls talking about regretting their first time with a boy, and whilst the idea of pain didn't shake her, she was more afraid of regretting it.

Especially with Jack.

The ended their kiss, and with an extra peck on the lips more, Kate started to put her key into the door.

"Kate." Jack said, distracting her attention from turning the key in her hands.

She looked up at him, one of her curls falling over her eyes as she brushed it back behind her ear. He gave her the knee-weakening smile that always accompanied three words from him, and she grinned in return.

"I love you." He told her, genuine emotion written all over his face.

"I love you, too." She smiled, and he watched as she entered her apartment, and once he was satisfied that she was home safely, he turned to return home himself.

--------------

"Well, someone's happy." Sam commented as Kate closed the door behind her. When he had come into the room, she had been leaning back against the door with an content smile playing on her lips.

Kate simply grinned to her fathers comment, and followed him into the kitchen.

"I'm glad you had fun, sweetie." He smiled to her.

"Yeah, me too." She nodded. Fun had been one word for it...

"Want some hot chocolate?" He asked her, as he flipped the switch of the kettle on.

The water was already starting to boil as Kate nodded, and Sam started to get the mugs and chocolate powder out of the cupboards as it did. Kate sat down at the breakfast bar, all to aware that she was still in her elegant dress. She looked out of place sitting in the kitchen in such extravagence.

"So, did the others find out about you and Jack?" Sam asked curiously.

"Yeah." She nodded, remembering the look on their faced when they had parted from their first public kiss.

"What did they say?" He asked, when she didn't elaborate on it. He handed her the mug of steaming hot chocolate.

"They made us get married." She said simply as she took a precarious sip of the warm liquid. Hot chocolate always reminded her of Jack. He made the best hot chocolate in her eyes, and she had never quite tasted any as good as his. He had a secret ingredient, but he had not once let slip what it was. She had made it her life's mission to find out, but had not yet had any luck.

"What?"

"They got a ring and everything." Kate said, showing her father her hand with the childs ring on it that only just fit comfortably on the highest size it would stretch to. "They made us have a wedding in the schoolg gardens for not telling them."

Sam smirked, shaking his head. "And there's me thinking you'd never have a shotgun wedding."

"Well, we didn't really find out until it happened." She explained.

"What was it like?" He asked.

"It was...weird, but fun." She decided, before going off into a little trance as she remembered the amused looks on everyones faces...and how handsome Jack had looked.

"So, are you going to tell me any more about this wedding?" He asked when she had been silent for some time.

She smiled contently. "You know what...I'll tell you in the morning." She decided, finishing her drink, and replacing it on the worktop surface.

"Oh." Sam complained.

"I'm going to get out of these high heels, and go to bed." She told him.

"Okay, honey. Goodnight."

"Night." She murmered back tiredly, but still with the air of happiness in her voice as she went into her bedroom.

He heard the door close, and shook his head with a smile. His eyes fell upon a photograph of Kate and Diane on the kitchen windowledge.

"Just like her mother." He commented.


	42. You're Lost, Katie

Chapter 42: You're Lost, Kate.

Just as they had intended to do, Jack and Kate spent their weekend together. Unfortunately, they weren't completely alone, because the rest of the gang had wanted to see them, and so on Saturday night they had all gone round to Kate's new apartment for pizza. On Sunday, they had resumed their games tornament, and Jack managed to bring the tournament round to a draw for the moment until the next heat took place.

On Monday morning, they sat together in their usual seats in science, whilst Dr Arzt waffled on about cellular mitosis. Jack kept his voice low, and leaned slightly closer to Kate.

"Busy tonight?" He asked her.

"No...um...wait, yes." She said, remembering at the last minute.

"Oh?" He questioned, as she hadn't mentioned anything over the weekend.

"Turns out that Wayne's chosen to move back to Iowa, so I have to go round and get the last of mine and Mom's stuff from there before he dumps it all." She told him.

"I thought you and Sam got it all?" Jack asked, his protectiveness heightening at the mention of Wayne. Nothing would ever drop his guard around mention of him.

"We only got the most of it." She explained. "Most of it's Mom's stuff. It's only a few things, but its mainly photographs, and I don't want them thrown away."

Jack noddded, understanding. "Do you want me to come?" He asked her, not entirely comfortable with her going back there.

"No, I'll be okay." She smiled at him.

He looked at her tiredly. "Kate...this is Wayne we're talking about." He reminded her, the name alone speaking for itself.

She simply gave him another smile. "Jack, I know that you're worried, and I appreciate that, but there's no need to be. Dad's coming with me, and Wayne won't even be in."

Jack still looked uncertain about it. He hated to think that she would come into contact again, especially with the way that she would sometimes come to his house in the pouring rain because she was too scared to be at home.

"Don't worry." She assured him, seeing his concern, and putting her hand over his on the desk. "Everything will be absolutely fine."

He sighed. "Okay...but call me if you need me." He told her.

"I'll call you tonight anyway." She promised, as they always spoke on the phone to say goodnight. "Dad wants to send me back to yours already because of our phone bill." She smirked.

Jack smiled. "Tell him I'd be a willing landlord."

"Landlord?" She challenged.

Jack nodded. "You can earn your keep in kisses."

Kate smiled, and leaned in towards him. However, just before their lips touched, Arzt yelled out to them.

"Is it possible for you to keep your hands of each other for ten minutes?!"

Jack and Kate went back to taking notes on his lecture, and didn't see the look of disgust on Tom's face as he watched them together.

----------------------

When lunchtime came around, the girls went to the cafeteria alone, having just finished their gym session. Considering they were late out of the lesson because someone had stolen the locker key and they practically had to break into the room to get changed, they were surprised to see that the boys weren't at the table.

"Where is everyone?" Claire asked, noticing that a selection of people were missing from the cafeteria.

"Dudes!"

They heard Hurley as he came running up to them, sweat visible on his forehead. "Dudes, there's a fight!" He told them.

"What?"

"Between who?" Claire asked.

"Tom just jumped on Jack!" He said.

When the word 'Tom' had escaped his lips, Kate was already on her way out of the cafeteria. She should have known that something like this would have happened!

----------------------

"Tom, what the hell are you doing?" Jack asked, as he jumped to the side of another of Tom's flying punches.

"I should have known that the two of you were going on behind my back." He practically snarled, swinging at Jack again, but still missing.

So far, Jack was sprouting a split lip from the first punch that Tom had surprised him with, but wasn't injured anywhere else because he was quick on his toes, and had dodged most of his attempts to hit him. However, despite the beating he'd be in for as soon as he let his guard down, he had no intention of hitting Tom back. Even the fact that he was a black belt wasn't urging him to hit Tom.

"We weren't going anything behind your back!" Jack told him, realising that he was talking about Kate.

"Like hell you weren't!" Tom yelled back. "She called me from your house!"

"You think I liked the situation?" Jack snapped back.

"I think you loved it!" He accused. "Having her all vulnerable, crying on your shoulder..."

"I hated it!" Jack cut him off sharply. "I hated it that she was such a wreck, but I did what I could to help her, which is more than what you can say."

"I don't have to explain myself to you." Tom said, throwing another punch. It hit Jack in the shoulder, and he stumbled briefly before Jack stood back to his full height again. Suddenly, he was aware of the forty or so people watching them.

"Neither do I, but I won't let you make Kate out to be some kind of whore." He said, gladly defending her.

"If it hadn't been for you, she'd still be with me!" Tom said, catching Jack on the same shoulder again, but this time, Jack remained on the ground, and he didn't even try to get up again.

"Have you ever considered that she just didn't want to be with you? Jack suggested.

"She told me that she loved me!"

"When was the last time she said it?" Jack asked.

A look of recognition passed over Tom's face, as if he started to realise that maybe Jack was speaking some truth. He quickly regained his vengence, but it dropped once more when Kate forced her way through the people and into the group.

"Tom!" She growled.

"Katie..." He said weakly, shocked that she was there.

"Kate." Jack said, looking up at her.

"What the hell is going on here?" She demanded of her ex-boyfriend.

Tom tried to play the sympathy card, pinning it all on Jack. "Kate...he just went mad, I don't know."

"Look what you've done to him!" She screamed at him, gesturing down to Jack.

For the first time since Kate presented herself, Tom realised that Kate had no concern for him whatsoever. She crouched down beside Jack, who brought himself into a sitting position beside her as she brought her thumb to his split lip, and then to his aching shoulder.

"What the hell is your problem, Tom?" She asked him.

"He's my problem!" He told her, looking at Jack with a glare.

"Me and you are over, Tom." She reminded him.

"And Jack was there to pick up all the pieces, I bet."

Kate nodded. "Yeah, he was." She confirmed. "But I'm not with him because you're a jerk. I'm with him because I want to be with him."

Tom scoffed. "Well, ain't that romantic."

"Just get lost, Tom." She told him.

Tom backed out of the crowd, still showing looks of disgust to the couple, and glared of hatred at Jack. "You're the one who's lost, Kate." He told her, before turning tail and marching away.

Kate immediately focused her attention on Jack again as Sawyer started to disperse the crowd. "Are you okay?" She asked him, bringing her palm to his cheek.

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Your hurt." She stated, seeing the blood on his chin from his bleeding lip.

Jack wiped the blood on the back of his wrist. "I'll be okay."

Kate shook her head apologetically. "God, I'm so sorry." She told him.

He gave her a concerned frown. "Hey, this wasn't your fault!"

"Yes it was." She countered. "I'm really sorry, Jack."

He gave her a gentle smile. "Don't worry about it." He told her. "Better me than you."

She still looked worried. "You don't believe him, do you?" She checked. "You don't really think that I'm with you to get back at him?"

He put his arm around her shoulders. "The thought never crossed my mind."

She helped him to his feet, glad that he hadn't believed Tom's lies and accusations. "Come on," She told him. "Let's go get you cleaned up."


	43. A Small White Lie

Chapter 43: A Small White Lie

Kate had told a small white lie to Jack.

Sam hadn't gone to Wayne's with her. He hadn't been able to. Someone had called hm asking him to collect something for them, and he had needed to go because it was an old friend. So he had dropped her off at the house before going, and promised to collect her on the way back, which would be about an hours time. He made her promise to leave whenver she was done, whether he was there or not, and she had agreed.

The house was nothing like they had left it last week. Empty beer bottles littered the ground in between the beer cans. All the cans were crushed, and some of the bottles were broken, yet none had any of the alcohol left inside of them, which didn't surprise her. She had seen Wayne drink himself into unconsciousness many a night.

The whole room stank of stale smoke, and she wondered how long it had been since a window had been opened. It was so smokey that the whole room was filled with a light haze, and she went to the windows, opening them all in the room to get some fresher air into the house. Not for Wayne, however, just so that she could spend the last moments in her childhood house not choking on tar fumes.

A broken photograph frame caught her eye. She went over to it, curious. She knew that it was probably broken because he had thrown it, because she remembered the dark fancy frame as the one above the television. The television was the other side of the room, and the frame was currently at her feet.

Picking it up, she saw that it was a picture of her mother and Wayne together, with a seven-year-old Kate between them. She had never noticed it before, but she could see that Wayne was putting his arm around Diane so much that he was trying to force Kate out of the picture. Even from the start of his life with her, he hadn't wanted her around.

She frowned at the picture, and covered the part with him on with her palm. Without him, it still made a nice picture of her and her mother, so she took it out of the broken frame, and tore it in half. She placed her part of the photo into her jacket pocket, and left the remaining part of Wayne's false smile torn on the ground.

The whole room stank of stale smoke, and she wondered how long it had been since a window had been opened. It was so smokey that the whole room was filled with a light haze, and she went to the windows, opening them all in the room to get some fresher air into the house. Not for Wayne, however, just so that she could spend the last moments in her childhood house not choking on tar fumes.

She went upstairs, careful to keep her footsteps quiet. She wasn't sure why. No one was in. All of the photos that her mother kept up the wall of the stairs were gone, the faint outline of them visible on the pale blue walls. Even downstairs, everything that had ever shown that Kate or her mother had lived there had been removed. It was like he had already written them out of his lives.

She felt slightly angry for this. Her mother had always stood by Wayne, not matter what he did to her, but as soon as she had gotten sick, Wayne had practically deserted her. That's how Kate had ended up caring for her most of the time. Diane had fought for him so much, so how could he be so quick to erase her from his memory. She had loved him, or so she said. Hadn't he loved her, even a little?

She wasn't angry because all trace of her was gone, however. She didn't want to feel associated with Wayne ever again. It was no secret that he was her biological father, as she had known for some time that Sam was only her stepfather. Still, she had seen her friends parents, and even though none of them thought they had perfect relationships with their fathers, she still believed that Dad's were people who loved you. Wayne might have been her father, but Sam would always be her Dad.

Now, she had a completely different life. Sam was back, to live with her until she was old enough to make the next choice in her life. She wasn't sure whether she was going to college or not yet. Even though she still liked the idea of getting a degree, she didn't know what she wanted to do, so was toying with the idea of just moving out.

All that was missing from her new life was her mother.

She found the remains from her old life boxed up in her old room. Nothing was left in her room save for a bedframe without a matress now. Clearly Wayne was selling every bit of furniture that she had left behind to get him back to Iowa. Sam had brought her all new furniture for her new bedroom.

She wondered why the box was in this room, rather than her mothers. She never thought of it as Diane and Wayne's room, because her mother was always lying sick in bed, so Wayne would usually come home from the bars and collapse on the couch for the night.

She approached the box, sitting down on the slats of wood that had once held her mattress. It wasn't comfortable, but she didn't want to sit on the floor. Without a carpet on it, it looked bare and dirty, and even though she did't care much for fashion, she didnt want to get dust and grit all over her new jeans. Shannon would kill her for it.

Opening the cardboard box, she found herself disappointed that all the remaining things of her mother had been compressed into a box so light she could lift it in one arm. At the top of the box was a screwn up ball of material. Straight away she sighed heavily, and stood up to straighten the material out. This wasn't something as simple as throwing it into a ball. This was Diane's wedding dress, from when she married Sam.

She neatly folded the white gown again, and placed it beside her on the slats of wood. She wanted to keep that dress, she had always thought it was beautiful, and it was something that Sam would want to keep as well.

There was a tiny carboard box, falling apart at the edges, filled with the peices of jewellery that Wayne hadn't sold. It was limited to a single gold necklace made leaf patterns. She realised why he hadn't sold it. Even though it looked authentic, the necklace was acutally fake gold, and the diamond appearing stones set inside the leaves was simply cubic zircona. Also with the necklace was a golden ring. Her wedding ring that had been kept after the cremation. Kate had been given the engagement ring, and she had kept it solely because her mother had loved it, ignoring the fact that Wayne had given it to her, and the wedding ring had been given to Wayne. She wondered whether he did have an ounce of decency in him not to have sold that.

Underneath a few CD's that her mother had listened to, along with some of her books, as well the removed photos from the walls, Kate found what she had been looking for most. The photo album.

She picked it up, almost afraid to look in it incase this was some sick joke and he had actually removed them all, but she lifted the navy blue book into her hands, and opened the cover.

On the opening page, she was met with a photo of her and her mother when she had just been born. Diane was holding Kate as if she was the most precious thing in the world, and tears came to Kate's eyes as she saw her mother, just younger, looking down on her baby body with such adoration. One tear slipped down her cheek, as she remembered that her mother loved her up until the day she died.

Despite her tears, she turned the page, looking at all the photos in turn. She knew that Sam had told her to be quick, but she needed this, and for an hour, she looked at every photo and remembered the memories. She loved looking at the photos. Photos were magical things. It just gave the message that you were there, and that someone loved you enough to take your picture. Because photos never showed the sad moments.

She looked at the pictures of family holidays. Farms in Iowa, visiting army bases with Sam when she was a young girl, grinning up at the camera, front two teeth missing, and an army helmet on her head. A beach in California, when they had first moved into the area. This was quickly followed by a snapshot of her sixth birthday party, the first party with her friends.

Sitting beside her at the party table that Diane had set up in the back garden was Jack. He still had the exact same face, but his hair was longer then. She could see what her mother meant when they looked cute together now.

Then there was the wedding photos, when Diane married Wayne. She knew that all the photos from her original wedding to Sam were already back at the house, because Diane hadn't kept any for herself once Wayne had come along. Kate was there, in her bridesmaid dress, sitting on a stone step with Jack beside her, wearing a tiny white shirt and waistcoat.

There was more pictures from the wedding, the one of Wayne and Diane together. It must have been the last time she saw them smiling together. There was one of Diane and Margo holding Jack and Kate on their hips whilst the pair of them squabbled over a peice of cake. Both of them had icing smeared over their faces.

So many pictures showed Kate being happy, and all of them were with either her mother, or with Jack. She noticed that all the photos of her smiling during the time her mother was ill was when she was with Jack. It was like Diane had hidden away from the cameras when she became ill, and Kate realised that she didn't want to be remembered as the fragile woman she became, no matter how strong her spirit was.

Eventually, Kate got up, packing everything back into the box, and left the room without a backwards glance. The most precious childhood memories she had were all packed into a cardboard box. She shut the door behind her, and without warning, the box was thrown from her hands.

Confused, she looked to see what had roughly forced it away, but she should have already known.

Standing before her, less than three inches away, fuming, hate-filled eyes, was Wayne.

----------------------------

Margo had prepared dinner later that night. She had been out longer than she expected with work friends, and hadn't called ahead to Jack to ring a take-out. She hated to think of him eating take-out all the time, but she didn't want him to go hungry because she wasn't their either, especially as Christian wasn't in either.

When she had got in at around eight, she had prepared a quick dinner of omelette and chips for them both, and they had eaten. She had noticed that Jack kept his eye on the clock, and she knew that he was waiting for Kate's call. She always rang at eight, and by half past, and she still hadn't rang, Jack had started to worry.

Still, after dinner, he had gone up for a shower, and Margo was just putting the last of the dishes into the microwave when the phone rang.

"Hello?" She answered, when she picked it up.

"Margo."

She smiled, hearing her husband's voice. "Christian, I wasn't expecting you to call." It was rare that he called home from work, unless he was going to be late. "Are you going to be home soon?" She asked, glancing at the clock herself and remembering that his shift finished at nine.

"No, sorry." He told her.

"Oh." She said, before realising that there was a dark tone to his voice that unsettled her. "Is everything okay?" She asked him.

"I've just got out of surgery." He told her. "Is Jack in?"

Strange, she thought. He never rang from the hospital unless it was to say he was late, and he certainly never rang to speak with Jack.

"No, he's up in the shower. Do you want to speak to him?"

"No." He said a little to quickly. "I..I think it's best if you bring him to the hospital." He suggested calmly.

"Why?" She asked. "It's a little late for that, Christian."

"Margo, the surgery I just performed...it was on Kate."

Margo went dead silent for a moment, her husband's words registering in her mind. "What?" She asked quietly.

"Sam's here with her." Christian told her. "She went to Wayne's to get the last of her mother's things, and when she didn't come home, he went round there. Wayne wasn't there, but Kate was pretty badly beaten up, and was lying at the bottom of the stairs."

Margo's hand flew to her mouth. "Is she okay?"

"She's in a coma."

"We'll be there soon." She told him, replacing the handset, and looking up the stairs to where she heard Jack's footsteps padding to his room.


	44. She Looks Dead

**Chapter 44: She Looks Dead**

They had followed Christian, who had met them in the foyer of the hospital, and he had led them up to the intensive care unit. Once they reached room 4, recognisable by the red plaque which reminded Jack distirbingly of blood, they stopped, and Jack saw Sam looking through the window at Kate. He stepped up to the window beside him, and although he was afraid at what he would see, he needed to see her.

She was lying in the bed, her arms draped limply over the blankets. She was still deathly pale, and the oxygen mask over her nose and mouth was making sure that she didn't stop breathing. That scared him. It made him feel like she was on the brink, and that at any moment, her lungs would just stop. Even though hospitals had always been a part of his life, it scared him to see the tubes coming out of her arms, some draining fluid, some inserting it. The only thing that assured him she was alive was the faint beeping he could hear from the heart monitor.

Jack leaned his forehead against the cold glass beside his hand. It was a window, but it felt like a barrier keeping him away from her. His eyes focused on her battered body on the other side of the window, and as much as he couldn't bear the sight of her lying there, dead to the world, he couldn't take his eyes off of her. It would haunt him forever, seeing her like that...pale...lifeless, even.

All the way to the hospital, since his mother had ushered him into the car the minute he had stepped out of the shower, he had a mantra in his head. _She has to be all right. She just has to be. _He couldn't lose her, not when he had only just really found her. _Please, just let me keep her._

"Why did she stay so long?" He asked in a whisper, to no one in particular, but he got an answer anyway.

"I don't know." Sam said from beside him.

"I told her to call me, if she needed me." He remembered.

"So did I." Sam nodded.

Jack shook his head, smearing his aching head against the glass. Margo felt tears in her eyes as she looked at her helpless son. Jack had always had a dependence about him. Whenever something went wrong, he was there, and he was strong. Now, he was reduced to near nothing because Kate was hurt. "She doesn't deserve this." He murmered.

"No."

"When will she be awake?" He asked, turning to his father.

Christian looked at him gravely. "She took a very hard fall, Jack." He told him, but Margo glared at him when she saw the heartbroken look on her son's face. Christian stepped up beside him as Jack looked back onto Kate's body again. "She looks worse than she is." He assured her.

"She looks like she's dead." He choked out in a strangled voice. He'd never seen a dead body before, but he imagined that's what they'd look like. Pale skin, unmoving, looking just like a shell of the former person. To see that this person was Kate hurt even more. Welling up completely and uncontrollably, he leaned further against the window, his hand sprayed against the cold glass, hiding his face from everyone except Kate, who couldn't see it anyway. Nothing had hurt him this much in years, not even seeing Kate cry.

"She's just starting to heal." Christian assured him, as he had done to Sam an hour before. "As her body starts to recouperate, her colour will come back to her, and then she'll wake up."

"You say she had a hard fall." Sam commented. "Did she hit her head?"

Christian moved out of father-mode, and back into his more professional demeanor. "The bruising on her upper body suggests that she probably fell down the stairs, which would suggest the fall. There were no marks on her skull, or any bruising or lascerations, but there may or may not be some damage when she wakes up.

"What kind of damage?" Sam asked. "Brain damage?"

"No!" Jack protested when he heard that term, spinning around from the window to face the adults around him.

"It's highly unlikely, but there's still a chance, especially as she was unconscious for such a long time without medical attention." Christian explained.

"No, she can't!"

"And if she does have damage?" Sam asked. "What does that mean?"

"It could be on a variety of scales." He explained. "It could be as simply as short-term memory loss, or it could lead to more serious routes such as disabilities or complete memory loss."

Jack placed his hands over his face, willing himself not to cry as he leaned back on the window again. He couldn't cry. He couldn't. He had to stay positive that she was going to get better. Margo begged whoever was listening for Kate to remember everything. She didn't want to see the crushed look on her sons face to know that the girl he loved didn't recognise him.

She put her arms around him, and he let her hug him. "She'll be okay, Jack." She assured him. "She's a strong girl, she's not going to give up."

------------------------

"Jack? Jack, wake up honey."

"Hmm."

"It's morning, Jack."

Jack heard his mother's voice close to his ear, and opened his eyes. Straight away he was aware of a shooting pain up his back and neck, and realised that he was still sitting in a chair. He must have fallen asleep there during the night. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes, and his newly opened eyes fell on Kate's body.

His heart fell when he saw that she looked the same as the night before, but still, his hope needed him to ask.

"Did she-"

"No." Sam said, coming back into the room with a polystyrene cup of coffee in his hands. Jack placed his own hand over Kate's. It felt warm, which comforted him, not stone cold like the dead. No, she was very much alive. He squeezed her hand lightly, letting out a breath he didn't realise he was holding, letting her know that he was there.

She didn't even look like she was in a coma...whatever that looked like. He could see her chest rising and falling with the slow, shallow breaths that the oxygen mask made sure she took. It was more like she was asleep.

"You were awake until gone midnight, Jack." Margo told him.

He looked at Kate's body sadly. "I though she might wake up, but..."

"They said it would be at least a few days." Sam told him.

"When-?"

"The doctors came around this morning, did some tests, checked the recordings."

Margo ran her hand over Jack's stubbled brown hair. "We need to get you some breakfast, Jack." She said, regretting that she hadn't given him a proper dinner the night before.

"I'm not hungry." He said stubbornly.

"Yes you are." Margo told him. "Your stomach was rumbling in your sleep."

"I-"

"You need to eat something or you'll collapse at school."

Jack looked round at her. "School?" He asked, as if it was a foreign word.

"You need to go to school, Jack." She told him.

He shook his head. "I can't leave her."

"Jack, I can understand you eating and doing your homework here. I can even understand you sleeping here, but you can't miss school." Margo told him.

"I need to be here, Mom."

"If anything happens, we'll come pick you up, and bring you straight here." She assured him.

"Please..." He begged of her.

"I know Kate means a lot to you, Jack-"

"Means a lot? Mom, I love her!" He told her.

She sighed. "I know that, Jack. But you have to go to school."

Jack looked from his mother to Sam, who simply nodded. "Your mother's right, Jack."


	45. Kodak Moments

Jack sat down in the chair beneath him, falling onto it rather than sitting, but still able to let his weight rest reassuringly on the plastic shape. He'd left the hospital and made his way to his seat now in some kind of robotic state. His body was physically in the school auditorium, yet his mind and thoughts were back at the hospital, sitting vigil at Kate's bedside.

"Jack?"

Claire's voice broke him from his trance. Although he had been staring at the back of the seat in front of him, he had been seeing Kate's face, lifeless, smileless, and still, as he had done right up until the moment he had fallen asleep. Even though Claire's call distracted him, he didn't look up as she sat beside him.

"What's the matter?" She asked, as she filled the chair next to him and Shannon took the chair on his other side. This wasn't right, he thought to himself, Kate should be sitting next to him. "You look like you got hit by a truck!" She exclaimed, seeing the tired, worn and helpless look in his bleak eyes.

"I feel like it too." He said softly, unheard by any except the girls beside him.

"What's happened?" Claire asked him, putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Where's Kate?" Shannon asked, also leaning in closer to the helpless Jack.

"She...she um..." He couldn't get the words out, no matter how hard he tried. He should be able to say this. After all, he wanted to be a doctor one day, and part of that would include talking to patients families and telling them what had happened. Yet he couldn't tell his friends that Kate was even in the hospital. Maybe his father was right, maybe he really didn't have what it takes to be a doctor.

"Jack?" Claire prompted when he failed to finish his sentence.

He shut his eyes, gripping the sides of the chair with his fingers until his knuckles turned white, and forced himself to prove his father wrong. "She's in the hospital." He said strongly, carefully saying each word so that he wouldn't have to ever repeat those words about Kate ever again.

"What?" Shannon gasped.

"What happened?" Claire worriedly demanded.

Jack couldn't say the words, not when he had been replaying them in his head all night. Not when he had spent hours gazing at her motionless face, begging both silently, and not so silently, for her to wake up.

He didn't need to tell them what happened, because Mr Locke moved to the stage of the auditorium, and began the assembly, passing out the messages from the teachers about postponed exam dates. Jack didn't listen. If it was that important, someone else would tell him what was happening.

"Now, before we move on to our main topic of this assembly, we have a member of our school missing today. Last night, Kate Austen was taken to hospital after a nasty fall down the stairs. Her father explained to me this morning that she is, for the moment, in a coma."

The students started to gossip and whispers started to fill the hall at a magnitude that Jack found unbearable. He placed his elbows on his knees, and leaned forwards, covering his face with his hands and slowly exhaling. It didn't work to calm himself down, as he had tried to several times last night. All it did was bring back the reality that his Katie was hurt, and he hadn't been able to help her.

"Oh...Jack..." He heard Claire's voice in a comforting whisper, one that was almost lost among the others in the hall, but he didn't really register it until he felt the reassuring hand on his back.

"-But that's no reason for us to be alarmed." Mr Locke continued, raising his voice over the whispers which were gradually becoming louder. At once the gossiping stopped.

"It is for me." Jack murmered into his hands. Why wouldn't he be alarmed? He was more than alarmed. He was terrified. What if they'd been to late? He wasn't a little child who believed that anything could be fixed in a hospital. He knew that his father couldn't always save a patients life and that went for any doctor. It was a dragging thought in the back of his head that had she been found only an hour or so later, she could have been dead.

"We have a card here that I'd like everyone who knows her to sign, and it will be taken to the hospital for when she wakes up." Mr Locke said.

"If she wakes up." Jack corrected sorrowfully.

As Mr Locke continued on with that morning's assembly, Claire looked at Jack. "How is she?" She asked worriedly.

"They say she's doing well for the moment." Jack told Claire.

"When will she wake up?" Shannon asked, trying not to cry at the knowledge that one of her greatest and longest friends was hanging by a thread in the hospital.

Jack shook his head. "When she's ready." He muttered simply.

The rest of the assembly dragged on with Jack catching his eye on various parts of the auditorium. All of them brought back memories of Kate that he thought that he had forgotten, although some would remain forever imprinted on the front of his memory.

He could see her on the stage, eleven years old, dressed up as a shephard for the Christmas nativity play. He remembered their mothers laughing before the show that Jack should have been the shephard, and afterwards, when they had taken Kate home, Jack had been forced to wear his own kitchen-towel hat. His mother still had the picture somewhere, undoubtedly. She seemed to have pictures of everything the pair did. Apparently, they were a walking 'Kodak Moment'.

Down at the bottom of the stage, he could see the pair of them, thirteen years old, hiding out at break time with their back against the wood, crouched on the floor. It had been the day where, over a packet of salt and vinegar crisps, she had told him that she thought Tom Brennan was cute. Of course, Jack had been rather annoyed at this, because he thought that Tom Brennan was a jerk, or at least, he had heard that he was, and he hadn't wanted his Katie to have a boyfriend that wasn't him.

He could see her and him sitting down in the front row of the auditorium, twelve years old, not paying any attention to the choir singing Christmas carols, because Kate was too busy explaining to Jack that her mother was sick. He sat down in the chair beside her, holding onto her hand as she watched the singing children before her, trying to be brave.

The side wing of the stage caught his eye, and with it, the memorised image of a giggling Katie, seven years old, holding onto the side of the curtain. They had been on a school trip at primary school to watch the older children perform a pantomine for their drama examination. Of course, Jack and Kate had been in some trouble with their teacher when they were found backstage, playing with the wigs. Kate had been swiftly taken into the toilets by a teacher and forced to wash off the stage make up that Jack had dared her to wear.

He could see her down in a chair, slumped back with a book balanced on her knees. Fifteen years old, desperately cramming in last minute revision for the exam they would walk straight into after the assembly. He was beside her, telling her not to cram in so much, because it would make her nervous, and assure her that she was the smartest girl he knew, and that she didn't have anything to worry about in the exam. She'd walked out of it with another A under her belt.

His thougths were interrupted as he saw the people around him standing up, and when he too left his seat, he found himself flagged down by Mr Locke.

"Jack, may I have a word?"

Jack made his way to where Mr Locke was standing, and wordlessly nodded. He didn't feel like talking much that day.

"I understand that this is hard for you." Mr Locke told him sombrely, clearly mentioning Kate to him.

Jack nodded again. "Yeah, it is." He said quietly.

"Have you been to the hospital?" He asked.

"I was there last night." Jack said simply.

Mr Locke gave him a slightly amused look. "Judging from how tired you look, might I hazard a guess that you were there all night?"

Caught out, Jack sighed and shifted his weight, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "Yeah, I was."

"You shouldn't worry so much." Mr Locke assured him with a smile, but Jack looked at him doubtfully.

"Shouldn't I?"

"People come out of coma's all time." He pointed out. "Kate's a strong girl, and I'm sure she'll be fine."

Jack didn't try to correct him on the fact that people also succumbed to their comas all the time, and he was deathly afraid of Kate becoming one of those statistics. "Yeah...yeah...she will." He mumbled, not convinced, but slightly comforted that he could rely on someone else's determination when his own was failing him.

"That's the spirit." Mr Locke smiled at him. "I saw you two at the dance together." Jack looked up from the ground and met his gaze for the first time since they started talking. "It's good to see that you've opened your eyes to what everyone else has been seeing."

Jack simply nodded. "Thank you, sir." Mr Locke didn't say anything else, but Jack caught sight of the crowd of students scrambling to get space to write in Kate's card. He made a mental reminder to tell Kate that when she woke up. She'd like to know how much people cared for her. "I can...uh...I can take the card to her later." He offered.

"Thank you, Jack." Mr Locke smiled. "If you come by my office later today, I'll see that everyone has signed it."

Jack nodded. "Okay."

---------------------------------

All through his lessons that day, Jack found himself distracted. He couldn't concentrate on math. The only numbers he could think about was the numbers of Kate's charts that doctors had been murmering to each other and their interns in the middle of the night when they did their rounds. Fractions didn't make sense to him all of a sudden. He was waiting for the note to appear beside his exercise book, asking him what the question to number three was. He knew that Kate sometimes got confused when it came to multiplying with one top heavy fraction and one normal fraction. But no note appeared on his desk. Because she wasn't there, and the chair beside him was empty.

Science definately didn't feel right. His right had side was empty, filled with air rather than a chair with Kate beside him. A chair was missing elsewhere in the classroom, so another student had even robbed him of Kate's empty chair. He kept glancing to his side, expecting to see her doodling on her notepad, writing a note to him, or drawing little pictures in the margin of her work. But there was no innocent scrawls from her hand that were drawn on the paper that hadn't been passed out to an empty space. She wasn't there.

The teachers had clearly all heard the news of Kate's incident, as none of them bothered to call her name on the class register. Her marked essays and test papers weren't handed back because she wasn't there to recieve them. None of the teachers enquired about her whereabouts, and she wasn't mentioned in the lessons. She wasn't there to answer and questions, or be scolded for talking when they were meant to be silent. She wasn't there at all.

When lunch time came around, Jack sat mindlessly in the canteen. No food passed his lips, but he had a bottle of water to drink from. He wasn't hungry. He couldn't bring himself to eat, because every time he did, he was left with a sick feeling in his gut that ate away at him almost as much as the pain of seeing Kate so hurt. The others all talked, trying to get him to engage in conversation with him, but he barely said two words throughout the forty five minute break.

He needed her back.


	46. Please Understand

**Okay, I've become a bit of a Grey's Anatomy nut at the moment, so I thought, seeing as they're in a hospital at the moment, we'll bring in intern Derek as Jack's cousin. Can't hurt. We all love him.**

After school, Margo picked Jack up and drove him straight back to the hospital. She'd taken the afternoon off work to be at the hospital for the rest of Kate's crucial twenty-four hours, hating to think of her son alone there should something happen. She forced him to eat some dinner, even though she wasn't all that thrilled about him eating from the hospital cafeteria, before she let him up to Kate's room on the ICU ward. She'd wanted to stop in and see Christian before, to let Jack see him, but one look at the schedule board told her that a heart operation would mean she wouldn't likely see him tonight.

She'd seen Derek, her nephew and Jack's cousin, rushing around the hospital paying more attention to his alarming pager than to the other doctors around him. She'd thought about calling out to him, but knew that it was probably best to let him get on with it. He was an intern now, after all, and she remembered the days when her husband had been an intern, back when his life wasn't his own. She'd try and find Derek later to say hello to him and ask how his sisters were doing.

When Margo got to Kate's room, she noticed that her son was only a shadow of doubt compared to the state that Sam was in. She knew that he hadn't eaten, slept or moved from his seat since he had arrived there last night, so she took him away with her, to get some food, at least, whilst Jack was left alone with Kate.

It was the first time that Jack had been alone in the room with Kate. All of the previous night, his stubborn position at her bedside had been matched adamently by Sam. However, his mother was just as stubborn, but also caring, and would refused to let Sam return to Kate's side before he had rested and eaten, unless it was an emergency. Although the doctors kept telling them that she was in a stable condition for the moment, Jack knew that from the way they were checking her moniters every hour, that stability could disappear at any moment.

He sat down in the same chair he had slept in last night. Now, however, the seat beneath him felt cold, where it hadn't been occupied all day. The whole room felt cold, perhaps it was just because he was scared, or maybe because Kate was there, but her smile wasn't filling the room.

As he sat, he placed the large 'get well soon' card, that he had collected from Mr Locke at the end of the day, on the bedside table beside the glass vase of flowers that Margo had brought to brighten up the room somewhat. It turned out that in a room of constant beeps and white walls and furniture, the red and purple fuschias were all that brought colour to the room.

He eyed the card for a moment, wondering what people had written in it. He hadn't written anything. He'd not gone over to the card at the end of the assembly to write his best wishes to Kate as the others had done. He didn't need to really, because he would be there at her side at every available moment. He'd sat all night holding her hand, begging her to open her eyes, wanting to see her smile again. He could have put in writing as well, like the others had, but he knew that when he'd have held the pen, his hands would have shaken.

At no decision of his own, but simply his brain operating on auto-pilot, he reached back out and took the card. He traced his finger down the opening side, staring intently at the cartoon picture of a lion lying in a hospital bed, his mane flattened by a bandage on his head, and his left leg in a cast, being held up in stirrups. He usually would have laughed at the image, especially seeing as a hippopotomus with a lot of make up on was acting as a nurse to the lion, but now, he couldn't help feeling it was very apt. Lions were courageous, they were brave and fearless, just like Kate. She was brave, and courageous, and regal like a lion.

He opened the card, smiling softly straight away when he saw that no area of the white card was left unfilled. Everyone who could, had written a message. Some had even crammed their writing into minute spaces on the very edge just to get their wishes of health to her. Just as always, he was met with the multicoloured pens that their immediate friends used; pink for Shannon, purple for Claire, green for Sawyer, blue for Charlie...all of them were on there.

He read the messages aloud, first to himself, but then leaning his forearms on the side of the bed, reading more to Kate when he realised that maybe she could hear him. If she could, she'd like to hear that her friends were missing her, even though she was gone for just a day so far.

_Could have done with your help in English today! Get well soon sweetie, we miss you soooo much! Love, Claire xxxx_

_Get well soon, Freckles. Not a good day without you smilin. _

_Dude, get well soon! Hurley. xx_

_Hope you're up on your feet soon honey! (if not I'll threaten a pedicure, that will get you moving!) We miss your smiling face! Lots of love, Shannon xxxxxxxxxxxxx_

_I hope you're okay soon, Kate! Best wishes from the British! Charlie (and Liam says hi) xxx_

_Greatest regards to a great friend! Our prayers are with you. Sayid._

_Hey, Kate! Miss you loads! Rosie._

_We'll have to start calling you clumsy Kate if you're not careful! Stay away from the stairs! See you soon, Rachel._

_Get well soon, honey! Jack will take care of you! Katy and Liz xx_

_Hey, Kate. I'm sorry you got hurt. I hope you get better quickly. Tom._

At Tom's message, Jack frowned. He hadn't thought Tom would write in it, for some reason - especially after the encounter that had happened two days ago (only two days? It felt like a lifetime). Jack stopped reading, placing the card back on the bedside table, and sighing loudly. Tom had signed it, and he hadn't. Tom, who had accused her of cheating on him, who had abandoned her when her mother died, who had basically called her a whore in front of the whole canteen, had still taken the time to put a message in her 'get well soon' card. Jack, who had loved her for as long as he could remember, who had sat at her bedside all night, who had been there when Diane died like no one else had been, who had told her that he loved her on the front lawn and kissed her passionately in front of all of the neighbours and their parents, hadn't.

Did that make him a bad person? A bad boyfriend? A bad best friend?

"I couldn't sign it." He said aloud, speaking out to the unconscious form of the girl he loved, yet holding his head in his hands beside her waist, where he leant. "I'm sorry. I just...I couldn't." He sighed, defeated by his own weakness. "Everything I could write, I've already said." He looked up, taking her hand again and bringing it up to his face, desperate to feel her touch. "You know that I want you to wake up, and you know that I miss you, and you sure as hell know that I love you...well, if you can hear me. Dad says you can, but..." He sniffed, suddenly aware of the presence of tears in his eyes. "I miss you, Katie. I'm really, really scared."

He let out a loud exhale, forcing him to control himself. He'd been a complete wreck all night, but didn't want tears to cross his cheeks another time. That wasn't going to help her, it wasn't going to help Kate wake up, and it wasn't going to get him anywhere. _Letting out your emotions doesn't work unless you've got someone there to hold you, _Kate had once told him.

----------

Outside the room, watching as Jack started to let loose for once, stood Margo. Christian was at her side, taking every opportunity away from his patients and surgeries to check on the girl who had always been the closest he'd had to a daughter. Margo, however, was always there, and while she'd simply just nodded to him when he'd arrived at her side, she was grateful that he was there. She knew how much his job meant to him, and knew that he loved being at the hospital, but he loved his family more, even if the hospital practically owned him.

"Does he realise we can all hear him out here?" Christian asked, a gentle, fatherly smile playing on his lips as he watched through the glass that Jack had his back too. The open door into Kate's room was releasing Jack's voice into the hall.

Margo shook her head, not removing her eyes from her son's back. "Leave him be, Christian." She whispered. "He needs this."

Christian nodded, and was saved from speaking when another figure approached. "Hey."

Margo and Christian both lifted up their heads at the greeting, which came from a tall, dark haired young man. Margo gave a gentle smile to her nephew, who threw himself onto an abandoned gurney opposite Kate's room with a tired sigh.

"Good afternoon, Derek." Margo said, crossing the corridor and sitting beside him on the gurney. Christian simply stayed standing, yet went over to his brother's son.

"How's everything down this end of the hospital?" Derek asked, notioning to Kate's room.

"Kate's stable still, not so sure about Jack though." Christian nodded. "Not spending much time up at ICU?"

Derek shook his head. "I'm working with Meredith in the pit today."

"Dr Grey?" Christian asked.

Derek nodded. "Yeah, she's nice once you get talking to her."

Margo shook her head at her nephew. "Honestly, Derek Shephard, you're a lady killer sometimes. I hope you remember your wife that you were determined to marry as soon as you turned eighteen."

He flashed her a cheesy smile. "I never said anything about cheating on Addison. She's the one for me. I don't regret getting married to her so soon. Especially as I get to see her every day at work. It's like being with her 24/7, and because we both have busy schedules, we don't have to worry about going on dates very often."

"You shouldn't be dating." Christian scolded him. "You've got a year left until you become a resident. You should be focusing on your work if you want to make chief resident."

Just like Christian, Margo realised, always taking work seriously, even at the expense of a social life. Derek, however, laughed at this comment. "Don't worry, Uncle Chris." He assured. "One day there'll be two great Doctor Shepherd's at this hospital."

Two pagers blared, and Christian and Derek sighed.

"Uh oh. Dr Webber's onto me. Better run. Bye!" Derek said cheerfully, running off to make his resident happy.

Christian gave Margo a kiss on the cheek. "I'll be back up when I can, sweetheart." He told her, and disappeared also down the corridor towards the elevators.

Margo sighed, and went back to watching her son.

---------------------

It was dark again now, just as it had been last night when Jack had first arrived and seen Kate. Somehow, when he'd crossed the car park the previous evening, he'd just known it was her. He wasn't sure how, but all night, ever since Kate hadn't shown for their karate session without a phonecall to him, he'd known that something had happened, something wasn't right. He hated it when he was right like that.

Now, twenty four hours later, she still wasn't awake. They were happy with the progress she'd made in that time, but Jack didn't see any himself. She hadn't opened her eyes. That would be progress to him. But no, she hadn't changed a bit as far as he was concerned.

Sam still wasn't back. Margo had sent him home to get an hour or two's sleep, which had progressed into a few hours more, but Jack was welcoming the time he had with Kate. He spent the later evening leaning against the end of the bed, doing his math homework, and later, trying to attempt his science homework, but having to stop. Science wasn't science without Kate writing him notes, he'd learnt that earlier during the day.

He'd sat in silence all the time, and then resumed his speaking to Kate, as every nurse that came in to check reminded him that she could hear him, and that her brain was awake, it was simply her body that was resting.

"Please, Kate." He begged, her hand residing in his once again. "Move, open your eyes, anything, just...anything. I need to know that you're okay. I need to know that you can hear me. It's been a day, one day, and I'm already going crazy. I keep trying to believe that you're going to be okay, but until I can't believe it. I'm so scared that I'm going to lose you, but that can't happened, right? I love you too damn much, Katie."

Margo entered the room, standing behind Jack and putting her hand on his shoulder. "Jack, honey, it's getting late." She told him.

"Yeah." He agreed, looking at the clock that read 10.52pm.

"I'm driving home..." She continued.

"Can I stay?" He asked her quickly, turning to face her in his seat, but not releasing Kate's hand.

"Jack..." She sighed.

"You said you understood." He reminded her of what she'd said to him that morning, yet still she looked undecided. "Please, Mom," He begged. "I need to be with her, and if she knew I was here she wouldn't want me to leave."

Margo gave him a smile, rubbing his shoulder lightly. "Only because you'll worry more at home that you will here." She told him.

"Thanks, Mom." He nodded, giving her a small smile, yet she was happy enough with that, as it was the only one she'd seen since he'd arrived at the hospital last night.

"I saw Derek earlier." She told him. "He said his shift finishes at midnight, so he'll come down and see you for a bit to catch up then."

Jack nodded, and Margo started to leave the room. However, she'd got to the doorway when she remembered one more thing she needed to tell Jack.

"But you're going to school again tomorrow."


	47. Prove It

Chapter 47:

"Hey there, Jackie."

Jack looked up from Kate, immediately recognising the resented nickname he'd been given almost at birth by his elder cousin.

"Surely I'm a bit too old to still be called 'Jackie'?" He suggested, as Derek came and sat across him eating a muffin.

"You'll always be Jackie to me." Derek grinned, tossing a muffin to Jack, who caught it before taking off the wrapper. Although he didn't feel like eating, his stomach was telling him that he was starving.

"How's your internship going?" Jack asked, always eager to get gossip on hospital life from someone other than his father.

"No sleep, lots of blood, lots of surgery, not a lot of time at home..." Derek listed.

"Sounds nasty."

"Are you kidding?" Derek frowned. "It's great! Mucky, messy surgeries...it's a whole lot better than being at home." He grinned. "Of course, you seem to think the same.

It was Jack's turn to frown now. "Unlike you, I have no problem being at home." He pointed out. Unfortunately for Derek, he had four younger sisters, including Katy and Liz, who had played a part in the fake wedding Jack and Kate had been given at the dance.

"Jackie, you've been here for over twenty-four hours." Derek said, pointing to the clock. "My shift today was only eighteen hours. You've been here longer than I have and I work here."

"Technically not." Jack said, although he'd gladly have stayed the twenty four hours at Kate's side. "I had to go to school."

"Only because your mom would have dragged you out if you'd refused." Derek finished for him.

"Yeah..." He said, his eyes returning to Kate's fragile body once again.

Derek noticed the look that crossed Jack's face when he looked at Kate's body. He recognised it; the worry, the fear that she wouldn't be okay. He'd once looked at Addison like that when her car had been flipped on the freeway. He'd once been in the position of the petrified boyfriend, helpless at his lover's side. "So...you finally told Kate how you felt." He spoke, trying to get his younger cousin back into conversation. After all, Margo had asked him to go upstairs to the ICU to try and restore a bit of happiness into Jack.

"Yeah, I did." He replied distantly.

"You're together now?" He asked.

"Yeah, we are." Again, his voice was distant.

Derek tried to think of something that would get Jack talking, even if it was angry talking. The perfect idea sprang to mind. "What happened to that jerk she was dating before?"

Jack frowned, looking back up at Derek. "What makes you think he was a jerk?" He asked.

"Because you told me he was about a thousand times since the day he started going out with your precious Katie." Derek pointed out. "What happened to him?"

"He's gone now." Jack said. "He abandoned Kate when her mom died, so he's gone."

"Ouch." Derek said, feeling sympathy for Kate. He'd lost his father not so long ago, shortly after his younger sister was born, and he understood what it was like to feel abandoned after that sort of loss.

"Exactly." Jack nodded, his hatred for Tom returning since it had revelled somewhat when he read the card message.

Derek smirked at him. "I hear you two got quite cozy when she lived with you for a bit." He said, raising an eyebrow that begged to know the details.

"Where did you hear that?" Jack asked, trying to sound innocent. After all, it had been cozy when Kate was there, but not in the way that Derek was suggesting.

"Your mom told my mom." He said simply, dashing any hopes of Jack's denial. "They trusted you two to sleep in the same bed?" He teased, laughing.

"Nothing happened, Derek." Jack corrected him.

"Sure it didn't." He winked.

"How's Addison?" Jack asked, quickly steering the subject away from his and Kate's relationship and Derek's assumption of it.

Derek nodded. "She's good. Our schedules clash a lot at the moment, but we're starting residency in a year, so there shouldn't be that much trouble after that."

Derek's pager went off, and he frowned.

"I thought you were off duty?" Jack asked.

"I am." He checked the name on the pager. "Oh, it's Meredith."

"Meredith?" Jack repeated questioningly.

"Meredith Grey. Blonde. Kinda short. I've been down in the pit with her all day."

Jack raised his eyebrows. "You remember that you're married, right?"

Derek laughed. "Don't worry, I'm not cheating on Addison. Meredith just wants to talk."

Jack raised his eyebrows further. "'Talk'?"

"Yeah, you know, conversation. We've got that 'friends' thing going that you and Kate have had for ten years."

Jack wanted to correct him on the fact that him and Kate had also been in love for those ten years, but knew that Derek had more sense in him than to have an affair. After all, if he didn't love Addison so much, he wouldn't have married her straight out of high school before they went to college together.

"I better go." Derek said getting to his feet. "Catch you later, Jackie."

-------------------------

"They can't prove it was him."

Jack raised his head away from Kate, this time, his eyes meeting the face of Sam, who had returned about ten minutes after Derek had left. It was close to 2am now, but neither were planning on sleeping.

"What?" Jack asked.

"I spoke to the police earlier." He told Jack. "They can't prove it was Wayne that pushed her down the stairs, not unless she wakes up and tells them that."

Jack let out a breath quickly. "But...it was definately him!" He protested.

"He wasn't there when she was found." Sam pointed out.

"But..."

"We know, and she knows." Sam cut him off. "But they won't listen to us. They need her to tell them."

Jack sighed. "Why do things always have to be so complicated?" He asked aloud, knowing that there wasn't going to be an answer that would give him a better feeling about the situation. Complicated or not, Kate was hurt, and it wasn't her fault. It was Wayne's.

Sam shrugged. "Look at the upside." He muttered.

"There's an upside?"

"Katie wakes up, tells them that Wayne pushed her, and he'll get locked away for child abuse, or at the very least, we'll have a restraining order against him." He explained. "Either way, he won't be able to get near her again."

Jack nodded. "That's good." He said, silently knowing that he'd kill Wayne with his bare hands if he ever saw him again anyway.

"It should have happened a long time ago." Sam continued. "It's just a shame that it had to come to this for it to happen."

Jack nodded again, this time, not speaking. He couldn't possibly say anything, because Sam had hit the nail right on the head with his statement. Kate should have been safe from Wayne a long time ago, and it shouldn't have come to this for her to have a way of keeping him away from her.

Sam looked up from Kate, and watched Jack for a moment. "I hear you got married."

Jack gave a weak smile in Kate's direction. "Yeah, they made us get married at the dance, because we didn't tell them we were together." He said to Sam, assuming that Kate had told him what had happened.

"Who gave her away?" Sam asked.

"Sawyer did." Jack told him.

"Did she laugh?"

"She thought it was silly at first, but yeah, she laughed a lot." Jack remembered clearly, never forgetting the smile that had been on her face as they had laughed through the fake ceremony.

"That's good." Sam said sadly.

"She really did look beautiful that night." Jack continued, now stuck with the image of her beautiful appearance in that dress in his mind. "I've never seen her wear a dress before."

"I have." Sam said. "But I can remember her taking it off and running around the garden in her underwear because she hated it. She was three." Jack laughed slightly, having not heard much about Kate when she was younger than when they'd met. "One thing I love about being near her...I'm finally getting to see her smile." Sam said.

"She does it a lot, it's hard to miss." Jack assured him.

"I don't know what I was expecting when I came out here." Sam said. "I know that she misses her mother, but she's still happy, and I can't take any credit for that happiness. I owe you thanks for that."

Jack shrugged it off like it was nothing. "Don't mention it."

"She's not had it easy, living with Wayne and coping with Diane's illness, but you've always been there for her."

"I've always cared about her." Jack nodded.

Sam gave him a thankfull smile. "I still thank you for that."

Jack smiled softly in return, and they fell back into a lapsed silence once again. Twenty minutes passed before either spoke once more.

"Mr Austen?"

"Jack, please, call me Sam." He insisted.

"Okay...Sam...she's going to wake up, right?" Jack asked, desperation showing in his eyes as he looked to the older man for reassurance.

"She has to." He said simply.


	48. Tell Me That You'll Open Your Eyes

Chapter 48:

The next morning, Jack had awoken yet again to find that Kate's eyes were still closed in her sleep, and, yet again, he had found himself forced into school by his mother. He'd done everything short of offering to dress in drag and do the Hula to try and get out of school, but she wasn't budging, not even when he offered to clean the whole house when she woke up. Margo, however, was not as naive as he believed her to be. She knew that the minute Kate woke up, Jack wouldn't leave her side for anything.

So, despite his best efforts, he found himself back in the school building, right on time. Margo had dropped him right to the gate again, to make sure that he didn't try any attempts to get himself out of school. She had already warned him that if the school phoned and told her that he had been taken ill, she'd know that he was faking to get back to the hospital, which had shattered Jack's final plan. Part of him thought that he could induce a more serious injury, but that would be stupid, however much he wanted to be at Kate's side.

Science, first thing in the morning, had proved to be extremely boring again without Kate at his side. He never realised how much he came to rely on her in his lesson until she wasn't there; not for working purposes of course, but he missed the doodles she'd put on his folder, and on the cover of his exercise books. He missed everything about her.

Breaktime had marked yet another day where he had sat in silence, forced by the girls to eat the cafeteria lunch they had gotten for him when he insisted he wasn't hungry. They'd had none of it. For as long as he could remember, they were like his mothers away from home, always making sure that he wasn't skipping meals just because he had a lot on his mind. He managed to eat a bit, enough to satisfy both the girls, and the undeniable rumble in his stomach, but as soon as he had, the idea of more food passing his lips when Kate's was passing through a tube made the hunger disappear instantly.

After break, he had been dragged to his history lesson, which was being taken by Mr Bernard, a teacher who, unlike Dr Arzt, never scolded the group for their playful bickerings in class. In fact, he embraced it, and sometimes encouraged them. However, he had been informed that one of his brightest students was in the hospital, and was quick to notice his other brightest student, or rather, the lack of. Jack was there, fair enough, but his mind wasn't on the American Revolution at all that lesson.

Halfway through the lesson, where Jack had stopped staring into space and was drawing strange squares and spirals on the corner of his textbook, something that Kate usually did for him, but she hadn't marked that page of the book yet, they were interrupted by the arrive of Mr Locke. He wheeled himself into the room, and at once, Mr Bernard had stopped the lesson.

"Mr Locke, what can I do for you?"

"Sorry to interrupt your class, Mr Bernard," Locke smiled. "But might I have a word with Jack Shephard, please?"

Jack looked up when he heard his name, having not even noticed Mr Locke's presence in the room.

"Certainly." Mr Bernard said, excusing Jack from his lesson.

Jack collected this things when Mr Locke instructed him to, and followed him out of the room, looking as confused as the others who watched him leave. Then it hit him. It must be because of Kate. Something must have happened.

As soon as they were out of the classroom, Jack turned to Mr Locke. "What is it? Is it Kate?"

"Jack, your mother is waiting at the front of the school..."

"Why?" He asked desperately, feeling panic rising within him. "Has something happened? Is she okay?"

Locke, however, smiled. "It seems that Kate is expected to wake up soon, and her stepfather thought that you might want to be there." Jack's face flooded with relief. "Especially seeing as she started to talking in her sleep earlier this morning after you left."

"She's talking?" Jack asked hopefully, knowing that this was a very good sign.

"Nothing they can understand." Locke said, which lessened Jack's hopes. "...Except your name."

------------------

Jack spent the entire afternoon at her side, holding her hand, urging her to wake up. He skipped lunch, and dinner, in favour of speaking to her, knowing that as soon as he left the room and turned his back on her, she'd wake up, and he wanted to be there when she did. He needed to see her eyes and her smile, he needed to feel her kiss when it was more than his lips pressing against her knuckles or her forehead, accompanied by a gentle plea for her to move, speak, open her eyes, anything.

The afternoon dissolved into the evening, and Margo came straight back after she had left work to collect him. She stood outside, watching through the window as Sam and Jack stayed stationary at her side. Christian and Derek came along between their other surgeries, Christian more than his nephew because of Derek's hectic schedule, but Derek had come to consider Kate as much a cousin as Jack, and he too was anxious about her waking up, especially seeing as he had been assigned to her case now.

The evening dissolved into the night, and whilst Kate had mumbled incoherantly a bit more, with more mention of Jack's name escaping her lips, their hopes remaining shaking, waiting for her condition to improve just an inch more, enough for her to wake up. Midnight approached, and with the lack of sleep over the past two nights, and the stress he was under from lack of food, Jack unwillingly fell asleep at her side, still holding onto her hand as his body was slumped against the edge of the mattress.

At 2.15 in the morning, Derek was in checking her vitals, and writing in her chart along with a nurse, when Kate stirred. Derek abandoned the chart, putting it back at her beside, and leaned closer to her. Kate opened her eyes, moaning softly in the pain that she now felt throughout her body. Eventually, her wandering eyes looked at Derek.

"Welcome back." He told her softly, not wanting to wake Jack.

Her moans had alerted Sam, who was at her side in an instant. "Katie." He said with relief. "Oh, thank God."

"Da.." She tried to speak, but found herself unable to control her voice yet.

"It's okay, Katie, it's okay."

"What-"

"Shh...try to rest, sweetheart."

Kate looked up at him blearily, and silently allowed Derek to test her responses. He removed the breathing tube that was preventing her speaking, and she instantly felt more comfortable, even if her entire body felt bruised.

"I'll check back in an hour, get one of the nurses to page me if anything happens." Derek said to Sam, leaving the room to the two of them and the sleeping Jack.

"Dad..." She started, now that she could speak again. "Where am I?"

"In the hospital, sweetheart."

"Why?"

"You had an accident." He told her.

Kate suddenly felt the nausea that Derek had told her she might experience. "I don't feel so good." She said weakly, turning her head slightly to try and rid herself off the feeling, which only intensified her headache.

"It's okay, Katie, that's just your body coming back to it's senses." He explained to her. "You've been in a coma for three days now."

"Three days?" She asked. "What happened?"

"We don't know." Sam admitted.

"What?"

"I came to get you when you didn't come back from Wayne's, and you were lying at the bottom of the stairs, unconscious." He told her, and her eyes flittered. "Do you remember anything?"

She frowned deeply. "No...I...I don't remember going there." She told him, wondering why she would have gone to Wayne's.

"You don't?"

"Why was I there?" She asked, still frowning.

Sam matched her frowned, and worriedly asked her; "Katie, what's the last thing you remember?"

Kate thought for a moment, lulling over the last things she remembered in her mind. "I was at school." She told him. "With Shannon and Claire. We were having lunch. Jack wasn't there. Tom was fighting him."

Sam knew that this was the day she had fallen, and wasn't any more worried that her memory was damaged. "Okay...can I get you anything?"

"I want Jack." She said, her voice tiny and weak.

Sam gave her a gentle smile. "It's okay, honey, he's already here." Kate looked around, and saw Jack sleeping on the bed beside her, and realised now that the weight she could feel surrounding her hand was his own, clasping hers tightly even in sleep. "He's been here pretty much all of the time." Sam revealed. "You want me to wake him up?"

"No." Kate said quickly, not taking her eyes off of Jack's tiredly body slumped at her side. "No, he looks like he needs some sleep." She slumped back against the bed pillows. "Why don't I remember anything?" She asked, sounding frustrated.

"The doctors said that you probably fell down the stairs to have hit your head that hard." Sam told her.

"Will I remember soon?"

"I'm sure you'll remeber in a couple of days."

Kate nodded, and then took a deep breath, as if calming herself down. "I don't like this." She admitted in a whisper.

"Neither do I." Sam agreed stroking her hair softly. "But don't worry, Wayne's going to get what's coming to him."

"No." She corrected him. "I...I don't like being in hospitals."

Sam looked at her sympathetically, knowing that the last time she would have been in a hospital was seeing Diane in her final days. He should have known, really, that she wouldn't like where she was.

"When can I go home?" She asked pitifully.

"Not until the doctors know what happened." He told her sadly.

"When will that be?"

"When you tell them."

"But..." She said, confused at herself. "I can't remember..."

"I know, sweetie." Sam said, giving her a kiss on the forehead as she sighed heavily. "Try to get some sleep, sweetheart. Things will be better in the morning.


	49. If You Weren't Here

Chapter 49:

Morning came, and Jack awoke when he found the sun streaming through the blinds and hitting his cheek. Realising he had fallen asleep, he cursed underneath his breath. He'd meant to have stayed awake in case Kate had woken up. She can't have though, surely someone would have woken him? The next thing he became aware of was how hungry he was. He hadn't eaten, beacuse he had been so anxious about her waking up. But what stopped him, immobilizing him completely, was the fact that the hand he had been holding when he had fallen asleep that night was no longer in his own, and there was instead, a hand stroking across the top of his head instead.

He looked up, confusion in his eyes. Sam was gone. No doubt Margo had been and dragged him to breakfast like she would soon do for Jack before school. Margo wasn't there. His father wasn't, and Derek or the nurses certainly wouldn't be there stroking his head. That left...

"Hey, there."

He looked to his left, taking in the sight of the beautiful green eyes he'd not look into for days. "Kate!" He exclaimed, his breath catching in his chest. "Oh my God!" He jumped up from his seat, forgetting the dizziness that came from standing up too quickly. The fact that Kate was sitting up slightly in her bed meant that it only took a second for Jack to completely envelop her in his arms, holding her tightly. However, he quickly recovered himself, pulling away and supporting his arms on either side of her waist on the mattress, and sitting down before her. "Are you okay, did I hurt you?" He asked her worriedly.

Kate shook his head, giving him the strongest grin she could. "I feel okay." She assured him.

"When did you wake up?" He asked her.

"Last night."

"But-"

"You were exhausted, Jack." She told him pitifully, putting her hand on his cheek for a moment and looking at him as if he were the one in the hospital bed. "I was spaced out, but even I could see that you needed the sleep."

Jack laughed lightly, realising that only Kate could have been concerned about his sleeping patterns when she had woken from a coma. "How do you feel?" He asked her, taking her hands in his and holding onto them tightly, this time, happy to feel them moving in his grasp to grip him back.

"A bit foggy." She said, screwing up her eyes a bit to show how that annoyed her.

"Foggy?" He questioned.

"I don't remember anything." Instantly, she saw his eyes flash with panic when she mentioned this. She knew what he was worried about; her not remembering that they were together. "Don't worry." She smiled at him. "That last thing I remember is you and Tom fighting."

Jack visibly relaxed at this, knowing that what she had lost was a mere few hours of her memory, but, unfortunately, were probably the most crucial for her recovery. The doctors still weren't entirely sure what had happened to her, and they could only make so many assumptions based on her injuries.

"Do you know what happened to me?" She asked him quietly, knowing that her father hadn't known everything, and she wondered if Jack, who always knew the right thing to say, could give her anything else to jog her memory.

However, to her disappointment, he shook his head, and a look of shame set on his features. "They said you were lying at the bottom of the stairs." He told her, "They think you might have slipped and fallen."

"I was going to get my things." She said slowly, as the memory came back to her, and Jack nodded encouragingly, letting her know she was on the right track. "Maybe I didn't see the stairs." She shrugged, not wanting to think about any other reason.

Jack nodden unsurely. "I'm sure your memory will come back soon." He told her confidently, but she could tell from the look in his eyes that he didn't think she had simply not seen the stairs when she had lived there for ten years.

Rather than focusing on something they weren't sure on, Kate changed the subject, gripping his hands tightly. "Dad said you've been here the whole time." She said, relieved to see that Jack actually laughed a little.

"Mom made me go to school." He said regretfully. "But other than that...I wouldn't have been anywhere else."

"You didn't have to be here." She told him, even though her smile told him that she was glad he had been there.

"Yeah, I did." He nodded, and she saw how he started to get upset. "I was terrified, Kate." He admitted to her, needing to get it off his chest and finding it easier once he knew that she was better. "My dad called from the hospital, really late and night, and said that mom should bring me here. She wouldn't tell me why, and they just brought me up here, and I just knew. I knew that something had happened to you. I can't explain it, but I could feel it. Then I saw you, just lying there, and...and you were so pale and still." He got choked up and held her hands tighter, looking down at them so that he avoided her eyes. "I thought you were dead, Kate. I really did. I've never been so scared since...ever."

By now, there were tears in his eyes, but he didn't want to cry again. He couldn't. He had no reason to, other than relief, and it wasn't that which was making him cry, it was the memory that would haunt him forever. He didn't think he'd ever forget seeing her for the first time like that.

"It doesn't matter now, I'm okay." She reassured him, taking one of her hands and rubbing his shoulder softly.

"I've missed you." He told her, giving her a smile as the tears in his eyes started to disappear now that he had her to bring his smile back. "I love you so much."

She smiled happily, perhaps the strongest since she had woken him that morning. "I know. I remember that." She grinned. "I love you, too."

Hearing those words, when, for a moment, he had been afraid he would never hear them again, almost brought the tears back, and he leaned forwards. Supporting himself with his arms either side of her again, and their lips joined in the kiss they'd both needed. It was soft, perhaps softer than they'd ever kissed before, even their hesitant first kiss, but it was so passionate, so filled with desire, love and relief, that it could have easily replaced it.

They parted, and rested their foreheads together for a moment, stealing small, chaste kisses before letting the gap between them grow futher.

"What have I missed at school?" She asked, causing Jack to laugh because, despite her straight-A regime, she really didn't care all that much about her shcool work.

"Arzt still gave you homework." He told her, watching her face screw up at the mere thought. "Sawyer asked how you were supposed to do it if you were in a coma." She laughed at this. "He didn't answer, but he still gave it to me to give to you. I conveniently misplaced it though." He winked at her.

She laughed again. "Anything else?"

"Everyone signed the huge card for you." He said, pointing towards where it was among what seemed like a million others at her bedside. "Charlie and Claire tried to get in to see you yesterday afternoon, but the doctors wouldn't let them whilst you were up here."

"Up here?" She questioned, wondering what part of the hospital she was in.

"In the Intensive Care Unit." He told her, watching her bite her lip, because she knew how serious her injuries must have been for her to be there. "They don't really allow many visitors unless they're close family." Jack said.

"How did they let you in then?" She asked.

"Dad's Chief of Surgery." He pointed out. "Dad assigned Derek as your doctor, and if getting past either of them failed, I would have just told them that I was your husband."

She laughed a little. "I rememebr that too." She said with a happy grin.

"I'm glad." He smiled. He went to kiss her again, but they were interupted by Margo's arrival.

"Well, good morning, sunshine." She said to Kate, coming over to the bedside and pushing Jack back so that she could give Kate a kiss on the forehead. Ever since Jack had first brought her home, she had treated Kate like her own daughter.

"Morning, Margo." Kate smiled at her.

"Honestly, Jack, can't you let her rest a bit before you start kissing her senseless? How are you feeling, sweetheart?" Margo asked, turning her second question towards Kate, who had laughed lightly at the expression of Jack's face after the first question.

"Much better, thank you." She said, trying not to laugh hard at his embarrassment.

"I'm glad to hear it, honey. Jack-"

"I know, I know." He said, starting to stand up but his voice complaining tiredly. "Breakfast before school..." He recited from memory.

"Actually, I just called the school to say that you won't be going in today. I also passed on the good news that Kate's awake and smiling now." She told him.

Jack grinned at her. "So...I can stay here?" He asked hopefully.

Margo shook his head. "No, you're going home for a bit, actually." She told him.

He looked at her unfairly. "What? Why? Kate's here-"

"Yes, she is." Margo nodded. "And you have been too for the past three days. You're going to let me drive you home so that you can actually have a shower now, and have some food that doesn't come from that awful cafeteria."

"I still have to eat that food, you know." Kate reminded her.

Margo patted her shoulder, smiling. "Not on my watch, honey. I'll bring you something with some flavour to it."

"Thanks." Kate grinned.

"I'll pick you up some entertainment as well." Margo assured her. "I'm sure you could do with some magazines and books to keep you busy."

Kate nodded. "Christian came in this morning and said that he's going to get me moved to a room that's got a DVD player." She said happily.

"We'll have to rent some movies too then." Margo decided. "Jack knows your favourites, doesn't he?"

"Off the back of my hand." Jack nodded.

"Thank you." Kate repeated, to both of them.

"No trouble, Kate." Margo said, hugging her before standing up.

Jack looked at her as she stood. "Do we have to go now?" He whined.

"Yes, we do!" She told him sternly. "Your hygenic qualities are starting to resemble that of a farmyard animal, Jack Shephard." She scolded him.

"Moooooommm..."

"Don't 'Mom' me, boy." She told him. "You let this poor girl have her breakfast in peace. She hasn't have any peace and quiet at all with you talking her ear off all the time."

Kate smiled with the knowledge that Jack had been speaking to her whilst she was in her coma, and Jack shook his head, leaning over and kissing Kate again. "I'll see you soon." He told her.

"I'm holding you to that." She winked at him.

"I-"

"She knows you love her, Jack." Margo said impatiently. "Now, let's go, some of us need to get to work." She waited until Jack had left the room and then turned back to Kate. "Between you and me, Kate, I don't know what I'd do with him if you weren't here."

"Someone's got to handle him." Kate said with a smile.


	50. Chin Up, Son

Chapter 50:

(A/N: Wow...50 is a big number...)

They got back to the hospital at about 11am. By this time, Jack had driven Margo absolutely crazy. He had been showered within twenty minutes of being in the house, and was ready to leave as soon as he had his socks on. However, Margo had insisted that he have some breakfast, and then they had stopped by Kate's with the key that Sam had given her to get the things she wanted.

Margo had taken her some of her pyjamas, so that she could get out of the hospital gown, and Jack had suggested that they also take her own pillow and duvet, because she hated that of the hospital bed, she'd told him before. Of course, he had nearly tripped down the stairs carrying it to the car with it covering his face, and he had stumbled on the stairs a few times in the hospital. Along with stopping at the shops as well, Jack was starting to think that Margo was deliberately taking a long time.

He had been right though, as Kate's eyes had lit up considerably when Jack pulled off the hospital blanket and replaced it with her own duvet. Just as she opened up her mouth to speak, he had produced the pillow as well, and she had spent a fair few minutes relishing in the familiar comfort before greeting him with a kiss.

He reached for the bag of what Margo had brought for Kate, which included better food than that sold in the hospital, and things to keep her occupied, and placed it on the bed. "For the record," He announced, "I had no say in what Mom bought for you."

"Anything to keep my mind off this place is fine with me." She assured him, rooting through the bag as if it were the sort a child would be given after a party.

"I think we can manage that." Jack said, lifting a second, and then a third bag onto the bed. One bag contained clothes, the second, books and films, and the first had the food.

"Good." She smiled. "The sooner I get out of this place, the better."

"Just until you remember, Kate." He gave her a smile, as he flopped into the chair beside her. "As soon as you remember whether you fell or...whatever, you can go home."

Kate was silent for a moment, his words running through her head as she stopped rooting through the bags and focused on him. "You think he did it." She realised quietly.

"Kate-"

"Don't lie, Jack." She scolded him. "Not about this."

He sighed, running his hands through his newly washed hair. "I'm not sure what I think happened." He said honestly. "But I know that he had something to do with it."

"Why?"

"There was nothing on the stairs that you could have tripped on, and how could you not know where the stairs are to slip on when you've grown up around them for years?"

"Do you think he could have pushed me?" She asked him, knowing straight away that she feared Wayne capable, and that alone worried her.

"No one knows what happened, Kate." He said, avoiding the issue of what he thought happened. He didn't want her to hear that. "He could have done anything." At this, Kate bit her lip, and he saw fear flash into her eyes. Instantly, he realised what he had said, and leaned forward, taking her hand in his. "Kate...I didn't mean..."

"No, I know." She said, taking a deep breath and recovering herself. "I mean, he couldn't have...right? You'd be able to tell if he did, right?"

Jack nodded. "If you're worried, they could do tests." He suggested.

Kate, however, shook her head. She was more worried about having the tests down. "No." She said quickly. "No, it's okay."

There was a silence between them for a while, because neither of them knew how to move on from such a morbid fear that had been spoken between them. In truth, both of them had been scared about it, but both were incesant about being strong. Jack wanted to be strong for Kate, and Kate wanted to be strong for herself, no matter how much that felt like a lie to her.

"Claire rang me earlier." Jack told her softly, after a few minutes of uncomfortable silence had passed. He'd needed to speak, because he'd never had an uncomfortable silence with Kate before, and it freaked him out. "When they were on break. They're going to come up and see you later."

This brought a smile to her lips. "That'll be good." She nodded, and then tightened her grip on his hand slightly. "...and...you're staying?"

He gave her a comforting nod, smiling softly. "Until they drag me home." He told her.

Kate smiled, nodding firmly with that knowledge. "Good." She said strongly. "I...I need you here."

Jack's thumb stroked the inside of her palm; an action she was pleased for. "I know you hate it in these places, Katie. I'm not going to leave you on your own."

"Thanks."

He smiled at her. "You want me to put a movie in?"

"Yeah, go for it."

"Which one?" He asked, standing up and reaching for the bag.

"Surprise me." She grinned, knowing exactly which film he would pick, and she wasn't disappointed. It was their film. The one he'd taken her to see for her birthday.

---------------------

"Kate, how are you feeling?" Christian asked her, as he came into the room later that afternoon, a happy grin on his face.

"Much better, thank you." She smiled at him from where she was sat up in bed, beside Jack, who she had dragged onto the mattress with her.

"Up to some visitors?"

Remembering that Jack had told her about the others coming, she laughed softly. "I've got a feeling I don't have a choice."

With that, Charlie, Claire, Shannon, Sayid and Sawyer bundled into the room, complete with balloons, presends, sprinkles and a lot of happy giggles.

Kate's eyes widened in mock fear. "Oh. My God." She said slowly. "It's a parade."

"It's not a parade, it's for you!" Claire said proudly.

"Guys, you didn't have to get all this stuff..." Kate trailed off, watching as they put it all around her room, brightening it up just as the arrival of her lilac and indigo duvet had done.

"Yes, we bloody did." Charlie insisted. "Claire wouldn't let us come otherwise."

"Besides, the whole idea of being in hospital is getting presents from people." Sawyer piped up.

"I got truckloads when I had my tonsils out." Shannon grinned, placing a vase of brightly coloured flowers at Kate's side.

Sawyer nudged Shannon's arm. "Is that why Mohammed's always got his tongue down your throat? Trying to find them?" He teased.

"My name is Sayid."

"Whatever you say, Abdul."

Kate laughed, happy for the company she had missed, and Claire went over to the side of Kate that Jack wasn't on. "So, how are you feeling, honey?" She asked sweetly.

"Fine." Kate said, giving her a smile.

"Fine?" She questioned, knowing about Kate's use of that word.

"Okay." She smiled. "I'm okay."

"Has Jack been making himself useful up here?" Shannon checked, ready to clip him round the ear if he had been otherwise.

"Oh, very." Kate assured them. "Changing the videos...getting me extra food...which doesn't taste as good as his mom's cooking."

Sawyer groaned loudly. "How do you stay so thin when you eat so much?"

Kate shrugged. "I haven't eaten in three days. I need to replace empty space."

"Ah, touche."

Christian came back into the room, attracting the other's attention. "Jack, can I have a word?" He asked.

"Sure."

As Jack climbed off the bed, and kissed Kate softly, he left, leaving Kate with the rest of the gang. Claire took up a seat on the edge of the bed, watching Jack until he had left the room.

"Kate, you should have seen him when he turned up at school." She said sadly.

"I heard his was pretty shook up." Kate said awkwardly.

"Shook up?" Charlie repeated. "I thought he was going to jump in front of a bus!"

"I've never seen him look so miserable in all his life." Shannon agreed.

"He wasn't miserable, Shan, he was scared."

"Really?" Kate asked.

"He loves you, Kate." Sayid said simply.

"I know he does." She said with a gentle smile.

"You'd have thought you actually died the way he looked." Sawyer said.

Claire was quick to cover up that though. "But it's okay, now, because you're okay!" She nodded with a smile.

"As soon as I get out of this place, I will be." Kate nodded.

Charlie looked at her, confused. "Umm...not to ruin the moment...but I think the idea is to be okay before you leave." He pointed out.

Kate slumped back in the pillow. "Yeah, this place sucks." She complained.

Shannon laughed. "There's the Kate we know and love."

-------------

Outside, Christian closed the door behind them, leading Jack down the hall a little so there was no chance of the others hearing them.

"What is it?" Jack asked.

"Wayne." Christian said simply.

"Did they find him?"

"He's been arrested just outside of Iowa in a bar." Christian confirmed. "Police caught him at about two in the morning trying to steal some gas for his car."

"And?"

Christian sighed. "They can only hold him for questioning about whether or not he was there when Kate fell." He said, knowing that his son was about to have an outburst, and he wasn't disappointed, nor was he wrong.

"She didn't fall, Dad, he pushed her!" Jack cried out.

"And unless Kate remembers that, no one will know." Christian explained calmly, and Jack sighed, running his hands over his face. "If Wayne doesn't admit, and Kate doesn't remember, then he'll get away with this."

Jack looked up at Christian, figuring out what that meant. "But...if they release him, he'll still be here, until they're sure?"

"Yes, he will." They knew that the police would keep him in LA under the suspicion before allowing him to move out to Iowa again, as planned.

"What if he comes looking for her?" Jack asked desperately.

"Jack, that's ridiculous..."

"She'll be easy to find in a hospital, and he's her biological father..."

"Jack." He said warningly.

"I told her I'd protect her, Dad."

"And I don't doubt that." Christian nodded. "But right now, she needs to concentrate on getting better, not worrying about Wayne."

"We're not telling her?" Jack questioned.

"If she knows that Wayne's in the area, she won't be relaxed enough for her body to recover fully, especially knowing that we all think he did it. She's awake, and she's smiling, Jack, do you really want to take that away from her?"

Jack sighed again. Christian was right, but he wasn't sure he could lie to Kate if she asked. However, he'd already had one convesation with her that afternoon which had unnerved them both because he had told the truth, so maybe feigning ignorance was the best road to travel down in this case.

"So, what do we do for now?" He asked.

"Well, tonight, we make sure that there's always someone around the room. I've alterted the staff, they know not to let im know any details about Kate if he should come here. I've changed the rota around for the interns, so we'll have Derek here every hour that he's on duty."

"Derek is Kate's nurse?" Jack asked.

"Olivia is Kate's nurse." Christian corrected. "Derek is her doctor."

"Oh."

"Don't let him hear that you called him a nurse, he's very touchy about that." He warned.

"Okay."

"Now, your mother can't make it up here tonight, but she told me to tell you that you can stay here for the night, because I'm working tonight anyway, so I can drop you at school in the morning before my surgery. But you have to remember to do your science homework." Christian said.

"Right." Jack nodded.

Christian couldn't help but notice the sombre and determined expression on his son's face. He smiled, and nudged his fingers under his chin in the same way he'd done when Jack was a toddler and sulking. "Chin up, son. She's okay now."


	51. Back In The Saddle

Chapter 51:

Jack kept his word to his father and didn't tell Kate about the possibility that Wayne might get off the charges without admitting anything. Still, she had noticed that he had something on his mind, but when she had questioned him about it, he managed to cover it up with the fact that it had been a long few days for him, and it was starting to catch up with him. Even if he had been given a lecture from everyone in the room at the time about relaxing, it had been better than telling the truth.

Jack stayed through the night again, after both him and Kate had given his mother a massive amount of pleading, which had, after half an hour, won through. So, it was no surprise that it had gone past midnight, and the pair were still up talking together, despite Sam sleeping in his chair in the corner. Margo's next mission was to get him to leave once in a while.

Derek waltzed in cheerfully at 1am to check how Kate was recovering. "Good evening, everyone!" He announced brightly.

Kate looked at him supiciously. "It's 1am, why are you so happy?"

Derek simply grinned at the two confused teenagers staring at him. "It's a beautiful night, there's things to celebrate..."

"Don't tell me you remembered your anniversary!" Jack teased.

Derek turned to Jack with a serious expression, staring the youngster down. "I always remember my anniversary, Jackie. I'm a good husband."

"'Jackie'?" Kate laughed, before Jack could return his statement. "You're still calling him that?"

Derek nodded. "I'll call you by your full name if you're not careful." He warned, although glad that someone found the nickname as amusing as he did.

However, Kate's threat of using full names suddenly made the whole situation a lot less comical. "You wouldn't dare." She told him in a low voice.

"Katherine." He simply.

She frowned at him as he checked the chart at the end of her bed. "I'm in a hospital bed, you know." She pointed out to him. "It's kinda cruel that you're harassing me like that."

Derek laughed. "What are you going to do? Sue me for calling you by your full name?"

"Your bedside manner is incredible." She told him sarcastically.

"Thanks, I've been working on it." Derek replied with a cheeky smile. "So, how are you feeling?" He asked, getting back to the reason he was there. "Any headaches?"

Kate shook her head. "Not since they upped my morphine this morning."

Derek laughed lightly. "Wonderful invention, that." He nodded. "It makes hospital stays a lot more interesting, I can tell you that. Feeling sick? Any vomitting Jack should know about before he sticks his tongue down your throat again?"

Jack grimaced, but thankfully, Kate shook her head. "Not at all."

"Good." Derek nodded. "I take it you ate something today?"

"Three solid meals, plenty of liquids."

Derek sighed dramatically, replacing the chart back in its holder and leaning on the edge of the bed. "You're such a good patient." He told her. "Of course, you'd be better if you needed brain surgery."

"Is surgery all you think about?" Jack asked his cousin.

"I haven't been in an OR all day." Derek told him. "No offence, Jackie, you're a great cousin and all...but I'd rip your face off it it meant I got to scrub in."

Kate laughed, whilst Jack shook his head lightly. "You're turning into my dad."

"He's a great surgeon." Derek complimented. "And one day, I'll be head of Neuro." Derek went towards the door, and stopped, pointing at the pair accusingly. "I'll check back in an hour and make sure your stats are good, but when I do, I want you both to be sleeping, or your parents and my boss will kill me." He told him.

"Okay."

"Bye, Derek." Kate told him, sarcastically sweet as he left. Once she was sure that he had gone, she had turned back to Jack. "So, he's cheating on Addison?" She questioned wildly.

Jack shook his head. "Not yet. He's taking an interest in that other intern though."

"Just an interest?" Kate questioned. "They nearly kissed right outside my window when you went to get a drink earlier."

Jack shook his head again. "He loves Addison though." He told himself more than saying aloud. "I'm sure he wouldn't."

Kate slumped back against the cushions. "God, some people's lives are so complicated." She observed.

He raised an eyebrow, looking at her trying not to laugh. "You mean like ours?" He teased her.

"Well, aside from the forced fake marriages, random accidents and weird families...I think we're pretty normal." Kate decided.

"Oh, yeah, totally normal." Jack agreed. There was a small silence, where they both tried to keep a straight face, but they both succumbed to the laughter that they tried to muffle with their hands as not to wake Sam. As they recovered from the laughter, Kate yawned. "You should probably get some sleep." Jack told her, remembering what Derek had said.

"You too." She told him, and then scooted to the side of the bed, so that there was room at her side. "Come here."

"Kate..." Jack said slowly, looking unsure. "We shouldn't..."

"I don't care." She told him simply. "I'm the patient. You help me sleep." She said, as if being the patient gave her diplomatic immunity.

Jack looked around the room, as if he were fearing that they would be caught by his father or Derek. However, he managed to get onto the side of the bed, and let Kate throw the side of the blanket over his legs. He put his arms around her, properly holding her against him. The last time he had held her like this was the night before she left to go live with Sam.

"Better?" He asked her, as she settled back against his chest.

"Much." She whispered sleepily.

------------

It was around four in the morning when Kate awoke. Her heart was hammering in her chest, and she was breathing quickly as if she had been running. She was trembling as well, and she knew that if it hadn't been for the exhaustion, that Jack probably would have been aware of this before she was. Not wanting to wake him up, she called out softly in the dark.

"Dad?" She asked, but got no answer. "Dad?"

"Huh..." The grumbled reply from the other side of the room came.

"Dad." She said, more sharply this time. Within a few seconds, there was the sound of feet on the ground, and then Sam was at her side.

"Katie...what's wrong?" He asked her worriedly, when he saw the thin layer of sweat on her forehead.

She took a deep breath, calming herself down. "I remember what happened at the house." She told him. "I remember what Wayne did to me."


	52. The Talk

Chapter 52:

Two months ago, it had been Jack in this position; being the person who was forcing the other into school. He clearly remembered their first day back after the summer, and after Diane's death, where he threatened to carry Kate to the school gates if necessary. He also remembered, amused at the memory, her saying that it sounded better than walking. That had been what the others called 'the good old days', back when everything just stopped at the friendly, but constant, flirting.

But today, it was Jack sitting on the edge of her bed, and her lying down, almost a mirror image of what had taken place last time, yet it was Kate doing the enforcing.

"God, I don't want to go to school..." He complained.

She gave him an amused smile. "And to think," She grinned at him. "I can remember the first day back." She held up her thumb and her forefinger with a minute gap between the two digits. "...and you were this close to literally dragging me out of bed."

He shook his head, laughing softly. "I wasn't going to drag you. I was going to carry you in." He corrected her. He preferred his version. It made him seem more of a gentleman.

"Same difference." She shrugged. "Besides, you like school." She pointed out.

"Only when you're there." He said, giving her a lopsided grin.

She raised an eyebrow at him. "You have to go today." She told him firmly.

"Only 'cause Mom said so." He shrugged in return.

In reply, she took her hands from his, and folded them over her chest, trying to look authoritive. "You have to go because you wasted half of last night doing the homework, when we could have been playing cards and watching a movie." She complained.

"You were watching a movie." Jack reminded her.

She laughed through her seriousness. "Yeah, but it's better if you're watching it with me."

Jack grinned, shaking his head at her, and leaning dangerously close to her. "You know," He told her. "I'm the guy. I'm meant to be the romantic one."

She looked at him, as if accepting a challenge. "Well, I think it's about time I swept you off your feet." She said simply.

"Don't worry." He assured her, leaning even closer. "You did that years ago."

As she smiled, they both leaned in and closed the gap between them. They kissed softly, and slowly, neither of them moving to deepen the kiss, but just enjoying the moment. That is, until...

"Jack, are you ready?"

Jack groaned, pulling back from Kate as his father's voice filled the air. "No." He said, in a grumpy tone that made Kate laugh.

"Good, come on." Christian grinned from the doorway.

Jack turned around. "I said no!" He protested unfairly.

Christian tilted his head to the side and sighed. "How many more times do you want to kiss her before you go?" He asked tiredly.

"Do I have to answer that question?" Jack asked, mimicing his father's tone.

Christian shook his head, allowing Jack a moment to turn back to Kate, who was watching him, highly amused at their bickering. "Go on," She told him. "Go to school, pretend to learn. I'll be okay."

"I know you will." He said, leaning in and kissing her again, ignoring his father's sigh from behind them.

"Just come back afterwards, okay?" She requested when his lips left hers.

"Straight back, I promise." He told her.

"No, not straight back!" She intervened quickly, too quickly for Jack to be unsuspicious. "I need you to go to the store." She covered. "Get me some batteries."

"What for?" Jack asked her.

"My walkman ones are dead already." She shrugged. "I was listening to it when you were sleeping last night."

Jack seemed to accept this, and nodded. "Okay, how many do you need?"

She bit her lip, thinking it over. "I don't know." She admitted. "I'm going to be here for a while longer, so if you get a multipack, then I'll get Dad to give you the money back later, if that's okay?"

"Sure, that's fine." He grinned, pecking her on the lips once more. "I'll see you later, babe."

"Okay. I love you."

"I love you too."

"Honestly!" Christian laughed from the doorway. "Can you go ten seconds without telling each other that?"

"Yes..." They murmered in unison.

There was a small silence, before Christian cleared his throat, indicating that it was time to leave. Jack turned back to Kate, and spoke very hurriedly.

"Okay, I better go."

"K." She smiled. "Love you."

"Love you too."

There was another silence, this time broken by Christian laughing. When Jack and Kate realised what he was laughing about, and that they hadn't made it ten seconds, they both had the same thing on their minds.

"Damnit!"

-----------------

For the first time in a few days, Jack was rather amused at lunchtime. He was laughing along at the jokes flying around, adding in his own comments which edged on the laughter. It was as if everything were back to normal, with Kate being the only person absent. Shannon and Claire watched him interacting again, with their head supported on their hands, almost as if they were watching a chick flick. Of course, as they were the pair sitting directly opposite him, it wasn't exactly subtle.

"Jack's so much happier now." Shannon cooe.

"Of course he is." Claire said simply. "He's got his soulmate back."

Jack looked up from his sandwich. "I can hear you, you know." He pointed out.

Shannon narrowed her eyes at him suddenly. "You're together now." She stated.

He looked at her, confused. "Yes, I'm fully aware of that, thank you."

"But me, Claire and Libby haven't given you The Talk."

"The Talk?" Jack questioned.

"THE talk." Charlie told him, from beside him.

"They always do it." Sayid said, from his other side.

"What talk?" Jack asked. He'd never been told anything about a talk.

"Dude, you've never dated anyone in The Loop before, so you've never gotten it." Hurley pointed out.

Still, Jack looked confused, and Charlie leaned over slightly. "Whenever there's dating with a girl from The Loop, the guy gets a talking to from the rest of the girls." He explained.

Jack thought this over for a moment, and then it clicked to him what it would mean. "I'm not gonna like this, am I?" He asked, eyeing the two girls suspiciously.

Sawyer laughed from the other side of the table. "Hell no." He confirmed.

"You know," Charlie suggested quietly. "If you run, you can make-"

"Jack's not going anywhere." Shannon said firmly.

Jack bit his lip, and slowly started standing up. "You know, I kinda...need the bathroom..."

"Hold it. Sit down." Claire instructed.

"Oookay." Jack said, obediently falling back into his seat under Claire's look.

"Uh oh." Charlie grimaced. "The Claire Stare."

Hurley gulped. "He's doomed."

Jack looked at them desperately. "Guys, stop talking like I'm about to die." He told them.

Sawyer shrugged. "You might as well be dying. I'd take Death over the talk."

"Really?"

"Why'd you think I never date anyone in The Loop?"

Jack took a deep breath. "I've endured years of marraige talk." He rememebred. "How bad can this be?"

-------

Half an hour later, the rest of the boys were finally allowed to come back to their table, having been banished to the other side of the cafeteria once The Talk had started. They took up their usual seats, and looked at Jack, their fallen leader who looked completely mortified, whereas the three girls looked very accomplished.

"Dude, what happened?" Hurley asked.

"Are you alright?"

Jack simply moved his head, indicating neither yes nor no. "I uh...umm..."

"Oh no." Charlie realised. "They did the Gonads Threat."

"What?" Sawyer asked.

"It entails the threatening of a precious male part." Charlie told him.

"Oh. That Gonad Threat."

All of the guys winced, apart from Jack, who was too traumatised.

"Are you really alright?" Sayid asked again.

Jack shook his head. "I don't know...I'm scared to breathe..."

"Snap out of it!" Charlie told him. "Don't let them see that they've got to you!"

"Too late." Claire grinned. "Already seen it and enjoyed it."

"We have to stick together, man!" Charlie said, shaking his shoulders as if he were losing a war comrade.

Jack shook his head again, his eyes wide. "They're gonna cut my gonads off, Charlie. My gonads!"

"Only if you hurt Kate." Claire jumped in.

"But I'm not gonna hurt Kate!" He insisted.

"Then what's the big deal?" Charlie asked him. "You don't hurt Kate, you get to keep your gonads, everyone's happy. Whehay!" He said, flinging his arms in the air.

"But...but sh-she said..."

"Alright," Sawyer said, taking charge of the situation. "We need Man Time, stat."

Charlie agreed. "Girls, scram." He said, waving his arm for them to leave.

"Excuse me?" Claire asked him.

"This is an emergency, dear." Charlie told her. "You girls need to leave before we lose him."

"Honestly." Shannon murmered.

"Men." Libby complained.

"Come on!" Charlie urged ushering them out of their seats.


	53. Don't Tell Margo

Chapter 53:

After a long, and for the lunch part, rather torturous day at school, Jack made the journey back to the hospital, bypassing the corner shop briefly to pick up the pack of batteries that Kate had asked for. The sun was out, and usually on days as beautiful as this one, he'd have been tempted to take a slower walk to wherever he was going, to enjoy the sunshine and relish in the rare days of warmth before the onslaught of winter set in. However, the reason for his beautiful days was cooped up away from the sunshine in St. Sebastian's hospital, so he didn't slow his pace at all to take in the scenery. Instaed, he paid for the batteries, shoved them in the top of his school bag, and rushed on back to the hospital.

Of course, going to the hospital meant crossing to the other side of town, but it was still only half-past four when he got there. He'd have time to sit with Kate for a while before his mother started bugging him to go downstairs, or go home, and eat. It was a pestering that he'd grown used to already, but he wasn't ready to give into every beck and call yet. Not whilst Kate was in the hospital still. Maybe when she was home and recovering, he'd feel reassured enough, but for now, with her only coming out of a coma a few days ago, he needed to be with her. He needed to see that she was okay.

Yet, when he reached the room that she was staying in, the bubbling excitement inside of him disappeared. As he opened the door, it was jerked open roughly from the other side, so much that he almost fell into the room. Silently, he watched as two policeman left the room, pocketing notebooks as they went, giving no second look to the boy they had almost walked into. Frowning, Jack entered the room, seeing that Kate was sitting up in bed, leaning back against the pillows. She was taking deep breaths like he knew she did to calm herself down, and Sam was sitting beside her, holding her hand and telling her softly that she did a good job.

Jack's frown increased, as he stayed in the doorway for a moment. "What were the police doing here?" He asked aloud, alerting the other two in the room to his presence.

Kate jumped at his voice, her eyes snapping open. "Jack!" She exclaimed. "I thought you'd be longer..."

He checked his watch. He had been longer. "It's after four already." He pointed out.

"Oh." She said simply.

Jack took a few more steps into the room, the batteries in his hand. "Katie, what happened?" He asked her, softer this time.

Kate was silent for a moment, casting a look towards Sam, who took the hint. He stood up, moving towards the door. "I'm going to go and get a coffee." He announced. "I'll leave you two to it."

They both waited for the door to close behind him, and for his figure to slip past the closed blinds, and then Jack took another step forward. "Kate?"

"It's nothing, Jack." She tried to assure him, but ten years of friendship saw through her lie.

"Clearly it's something, if the police were here." He pointed out, and then his eyes narrowed protectively. "Did he come here?"

"Who?"

"Wayne. Was he here?" He asked, looking around as if expecting to find him in the corner of the room.

Kate looked at him strangely. "How could he be here, Jack?" She asked him incredulously. "They're out looking for him right now."

"Then why were the police here?" He asked, raising his voice slightly, even though he didn't mean to.

"Because I remembered!" She snapped back, meeting his raised tone right down to the octave.

Her announcement stunned Jack into silence, and his frown faded. She remembered. She remembered what he did to her. Calmly, he sat down on the edge of the hospital bed, his school bag falling to the floor with a gentle 'thud' from all the books inside of it.

"I woke up in the middle of the night, and I remembered." Kate continued, knowing that Jack's silence was there to give her space. "I remembered everything. I remembered you telling me not to go alone, and me going alone anyway. I remmebered siting with the final box of my mom's possessions, and what I was thinking about when I looked at them. I remembered waslking out of my bedroom and everything that happened afterwards. I remembered, Jack." She said softly. "I remembered, and that's why they were here. They were taking a statement while the memory was fresh."

Jack sighed, regretting raising his voice. He reached out and took hold of her hand. "I'm sorry." He told her gently.

She gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't be."

He shook his head. "I shouldn't have overreacted like that." He continued. "It's just that...the last few days have been...Hell." He sighed again.

"I know." She nodded, stroking the inside of his palm with her thumb. "I know they have."

"Why didn't you say something this morning?" He asked her. "You know I would have been here with you-"

"I know." She repeated. "That's why I couldn't tell you."

He frowned. "What do you mean?"

Kate bit her lip, and looked down at their enclosed hands. "My wole life, I never told anyone the full truth about what it was like living with Wayne." She admitted. "You weer always the closest to knowing. You knew that I hated it, and that it was like living in the deepest circle of Hell, but even though you were my best friend, there were things that I couldn't tell you, because they were just too awful. I think that the worst part about not telling you was knowing that, if I did, you would have gotten me out of there straight away, which is what I wanted more than anything, but I couldn't have left Mom behind."

Jack nodded slowly, his own eyes fixated on their hands just like hers were. "I'm sorry I waited so long to get you out." He whispered.

"I had to stay for Mom." She repeated. "Even if you had asked me before, I wouldn't have gone, Jack. You know that."

Again, he nodded. "Yeah, I know."

Taking a deep breath, Kate continued with her explanation. "Mom asked me not to tell anyone, and because I didn't, everything came down on my shoulders. She blamed some of the bruises on the chemotherapy making her skin fragline, and others on things that I had never heard her explain, but I knew exactly what happened. I knew, even when she didn't think I did. I took care of her more than he did, right up uuntil she did, and then she took her secrets with her. But most of them stay with me too. I see them every night, I hear her voices, her cries. They never stop." She shook her head at herself. "I could have told someone before. I could have told you, Sam, or the police, but I didn't. So, it's partly my fault. I carried that burden alone, because I had to be the strong one, because I wasn't dying, and I wasn't a drunk. I was just the only one left. I was Katie Austen, the poor girl with the dying mom and the drinking dad. I never let myself get help with any of that. I chose to do it alone."

"So, that's why you chose to do this alone?" Jack realised.

Kate nodded. "I always said that one day, he'd pay for what he did to me and Mom. I knew that one day, he'd get his commupance. But when it came down to me having to do it, I knew that I had to do it on my own." Jack nodded along with her, and Kate placed her other hand over the top of their enclosed ones. "I'm sorry that I didn't tell you, Jack. I know that you would have been at my side like Sam was, not judging me for what happened, and for what I kept secret for so long, and deep down, thats what I wanted, but I had to do this one last thing on my own, for me and my Mom."

Jack followed her example, and held their hands together tightly. "It's okay, I understand that." He told her.

"I started out on my own. I just needed to end it on my own."

He gave her a small smile. "I know."

She raised her eyes and looked at him apologetically. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you."

"You've told me now, haven't you?" He pointed out.

"Yeah." She realised with a gently smile.

"So." He said, much more casually. "How did it go?"

"Good." She nodded firmly.

"What else have you done today?"

The question shocked Kate into a silence for a moment, when she'd opened her mouth to answer, but then realised what the question had been. She looked at him, confused. "You're not going to ask me what I remember?"

"No." He said simply. "I know that you'll tell me when you're ready to tell me."

But still, she looked confused. "You're not going to ask me to tell you?"

Jack rolled his eyes at her playfully, and leaned forward, kissing her lightly. "Kate, I love you." He told her, getting the same smile he always did when he told her that. "I'm not going to force you to tell me something that you don't want to tell me yet." He told her.

"Wow." She said, looking at him blankly for a second.

"What?"

"You really are different to Tom." She pointed out, knowing that her ex-boyfriend would have badgered her to no end if he knew she'd had a conversation with the police.

"Yeah." Jack nodded, grinning to himself. "That's part of my charm."

"Yeah." Kate agreed. "You're more big headed then him as well."

Jack laughed, knowing that she was just playing around, before the laughter stopped. "But, seriously, he forced things out of you?"

"Not in a way that made him a monster or anything." She told him quickly, realising how she'd made that sound. "But he didn't like it when it was clearly something to talk about, and I wouldn't talk to him."

"Did you talk to someone though?" Jack asked, concern filling his voice again.

"Yeah, you most of the time." She pointed out, causing Jack to laugh again.

"No wonder he hated me." He mused.

Kate shook her head, kissing him gently. "He hated you because I loved you, even before I admitted it." She reminded him.

Jack smiled. "Well, I always loved you too."

They kissed again, this time allowing the kiss to deepen. It had been a long time since they'd have privacy to kiss openly like this, with emotions and passion passing between the two of them with every movement of their lips, and both wanted to take advantage of the moment before someone walked in and interupted them and scolded Kate for trying to exert herself again. Last time it had happened, she'd had a long converastion with her nurse about how kissing wasn't exerting herself.

When they parted, she settled her forehead against his. "Thank you for being so understanding about this." She whispered.

"It's nothing." He replied simply.

"Yes, it is." She compromised. "I just...I don't want to repeat it again just yet."

"That bad?" Jack asked her.

"Not what I told the police. I told them what happened...that he was there, he was drunk out of his mind, and he pushed me...or rather...threw me..." Jack looked horrified, drawing his head away from hers for a moment. "But it was more what he said to me that's going to be hard to repeat." She continued.

Jack was reeling for a moment, still trying to accept the fact that she had been thrown down the stairs; an action that could have easily killed her and almost had done, but he managed to calm himself while in her presence, and returned his forehead to hers. "It's okay." He whispered.

"I know. Just...thank you." She repeated.

"I'm going to be here whenever you want to tell me, though, okay?" He assured her. "Even if it's the middle of the night. I'm here."

Kate laughed lightly to herself for a moment. "You keep telling me that you're there in the middle of the night." She pointed out. "I can't help but wonder if you want me to ring you in the middle of the night."

He shook his head, also laughing. "You're not going to get a chance yet. I'm not spending a night away from you as long as they'll let me."

"Now, there's the Jack I know and love." She grinned.

"I never went anywhere." He assured her. "And I'm never going to."

"Why do one of us always appear when you're talking about the romantic stuff?" Came a complaining voice from the doorway. Sam was now standing there, half-finished coffee in his hands as he entered the room and returned to his seat.

Kate laughed lightly, nudging Jack's shoulder as she pulled her head back from his. "'Cause it's Jack, and he's always talking about the romantic stuff." She pointed out.

Jack frowned. "Hold on, who's ringing who in the middle of the night?" He teased in return.

"I never said I was going to." She reminded him. "If I decided to do it now, you'd go home and wait up until midnight to answer the phone."

Sam sighed, rolling his eyes and groaning into his coffee. "You know, you'd have been able to span out the romance if you'd gotten together sooner." He pointed out.

"Dad!"

"What?" Sam asked innocently. "We knew from Jack's sixth birthday party that you two would get married one day, and correctly if I'm wrong, but you're a married woman now, Katie Austen."

Kate grinned, but shook her head. "Yeah, but that wasn't a proper wedding." She pointed out.

Jack nodded, agreeing. "It was more of a revenge-temporary one."

Sam nodded firmly, pointing at the pair of them. "As long as at the real one, I get to give you away." He made them promise.

"Who else would I ask to do it?" Kate pointed out.

"That's my girl." Sam grinned.

"I know that Wayne's my father, but you're my Dad." She assured him. "Plus, Wayne would just get drunkn and ruin my wedding and then I might just have to kill him."

Sam tutted, taking some more coffee into his mouth. "Honestly," He mused aloud. "Such violent thoughts."

"Oh, that's nothing." Jack piped up. "You should talk to Claire, Shannon and Libby. They talk about cutting off your gonads."

Sam looked rather uncomfortable for a moment, and Kate covered her mouth with her hand. "Oh, they gave you The Talk?" She asked.

Jack nodded, raising an eyebrow at her. "Yeah, and some warning about The Talk would haev been a nice heads up."

"I'm not allowed to." She covered. "It's in the rules."

"The same rules that you guys started ten years ago?" Sam laughed. Kate and Jack nodded. "Have you written them down yet?"

"I think Claire's doing it." Jack told them both. "She wants to do copies so that we get to taken them with us when we head off different ways next year."

"Speaking of heading different ways..." Sam drifted off. "What are you two planning on doing next year."

Jack and Kate exchanced panicked looks for a moment, remembering the deal they'd made about staying together. "I'm...undecided..." Kate answered first.

"I think I'm going to applpy for NYU and Columbia." Jack nodded.

"...although I'm considering NYU and Columbia." Kate added, trying to sound innocent.

Sam raised an eyebrow at his daughter. "Don't tell me this will be the end of Jack and Kate."

Both teenagers firmly shook their heads. "There is no end to Jack and Kate." Jack insisted.

"We're told we can never end." Kate told Sam. "Apparently we're not just a couple, we're a concept."

Sam laughed at this for a moment, but then looked at Kate seriously. "Katie, honey, as much as I understand that you two don't want to be apart, especially for such a long time, you can't chose a college just because Jack's going there."

Jack and Kate exchanged a look again, knowing that they had to explain their plan now. "Actually, Dad, I was thinking I might not go to college..."

"What?"

"Well, not yet." She covered quickly. "I will go eventually, because I want to go, but at the moment, I'm not sure."

"Why not?" Sam asked her.

"I'm not sure what I want to do with my life." She admitted. "I don't know what I want to study, so I don't want to waste my college years on a subject I won't do anything with and regret those years."

Sam nodded. "I understand that, but what do you plan on doing next year?" He asked her. "I have to go back to the army, although I could ask for some more time off-"

"You don't need to do that, Dad." She assured him. "I'll be okay."

"But where will you live?" He asked. "The apartment's only being rented..."

"I'm going to go with Jack." She announced simply.

Sam looked at her for a moment. "You're going to do what now?" He asked, not sure he had heard her right.

"We've thought about it, and it works out best for everyone." She told him. "You won't have to worry about getting more time off, and I'll have somewhere to live. Besides, it's cheapter for Jack to get a shared apartment than to live in the college dorms, and he already knows his room mate this way."

"You're going to move in with Jack?" Sam repeated.

"...that's the general idea." Kate nodded.

Sam leaned forward, his now finished coffee cup balanced in his hands. "I think I understand what you're getting at here." He told them. "But are you sure you two understand what you're gettign into here?" He asked. "You're going to have to pay bills, there's a lot of responsibilities..."

"We can handle it." Kate nodded firmly.

Sam sighed, a playful smile crossing his features. "Why do I get the feeling that nothing is going to change your minds, no matter what I say?"

Jack smiled at Kate. "I love her, and I don't want to leave her behind." He said softly. "We can make it work."

"If you say so." Sam nodded, and then smirked. "Have you told your mother about this, Jack?"

Jack looked at him as if he had suggest jumping off the roof. "Tell my Mom? Are you serious?"

"So, you can tell me, but not Margo?" Sam asked.

Jack nodded. "If we tell my Mom, then when we're looking for an apartment, she'll be finding us ones with spare rooms for a nursery." He pointed out.

The amusement on Sam's face disappeared instantly. "Oh, God..."

"Exactly." Jack concluded.

Sam gulped. "Okay, if you don't give us need for a nursey, I won't tell Margo. How's that for a deal?" He suggested.

"Deal." Jack and Kate both nodded.


End file.
